Thrifty Thursday: Practice Your Hobbies for Less

It's been awhile since I've written a "Thrifty Thursday" post. I like to post some frugal ideas when I think of them in hopes that they inspire others who are possibly trying to save or reduce spending.

I think it's fair to say that modern day society is geared towards spending money in free time. Never mind family vacations that might be saved for and occur annually, how much money do we spend simply because we have the time and feel "bored"? Shopping as a pastime is driving household debt through the roof, not to mention creating homes overflowing with clothes and "stuff" and a society that is stressed out and working ever-harder to pay for a lifestyle that brings them little joy.

I think that hobbies and non-work related interests are what truly enrich our lives and bring a gratification well worth the cost in time and effort. Some hobbies can be costly, true, so I wanted to examine how a person can learn and practice a hobby/skill without it becoming a financial burden.

• I had my first garden while I was pregnant with my first child. I removed myself from Facebook the following year, feeling that it wasted my time and prevented me from learning more about the things I was interested in. Instead of spending my time creeping on FB I began reading gardening blogs and books about landscaping and permaculture. Fast forward to building our acreage and doing our own landscaping. I derive such joy from my yard, visiting nurseries, buying flowers. This year I want to focus on reducing the cost of this hobby. I plan to:
• tour my neighbours yards rather than cruising nurseries for plants. My yard is filling in now and there will only be a few specific things I add. Rather than tempting myself with the possibility of spending more on plants I think I'll get my fix of beautiful flowers by visiting the talented gardeners nearby.
• Offer to plant swap by dividing perennials and trading with friends and neighbours. This way I will achieve variety without the added cost
• Experiment with more plants from seed. I don't have terribly good luck starting things from seed, but I figure with more practice my odds will improve.
• Trade fellow gardeners for their excess produce. Perhaps someone will have pumpkins they would like to trade for potatoes or beets. Even if I'm not able to grow everything under the sun, asking around might develop a bartering relationship that benefits everyone

• It's no secret that I love fabric. LOVE. FABRIC. There's been a moratorium declared on buying more, however. This year I plan to make scrappy quilts using flannel sheets as batting and thrifted sheets as backing. What was becoming an expensive hobby (considering I like to give away what I make) can still be practiced using what I have and what I can find at thrift stores. I've already gone through my mom's stash and my own and started a lovely morning star scrappy quilt. I still get to practice one of my favorite pastimes but without the guilt of spending too much!
• Husband likes to take the kids to the movie theatre for a movie once in awhile. It just really costs too much, though. I think the last time it was $60 for the three of them including drinks and snacks. We can borrow movies from the library or find something on Netflix for free or next to nothing. Throw in a homemade pizza and stove-top popcorn and you've got a special family night at no extra cost. Better yet, skip the movie and play board games and really interact as a family.
• Try to take your hobby to the next level. We have some sheep now and in the spring they will need sheared. I've volunteered to help the neighbours with their shearing day so I can learn how and shear my own. Who knows, but this little venture might end up actually earning us some money if we can eventually shear for others. Aside from that, I have big plans to learn to spin wool and hope to work off the cost of lessons rather than having to pay cash. 

• Get to know the hobbies available near you. I enjoy doing pottery and would one day like to take another class. It's rather costly, though, at $220 for six evening classes. I know of a couple local potters who might be interested in giving pointers and allowing me to use their pottery wheels. Perhaps and arrangement could be made to trade/barter for lessons. 

• Make a plan and make it happen. For a couple years I've been talking about building an outdoor pizza oven in our yard. I'd like to find salvaged bricks and build it myself but usually get too busy to really look for what I need. Although there would be some cost to the project, dedicating the time to finding used (cheaper) materials would be a challenge and something to do in my free time. Although, looking back on the list there is probably not going to be much of that!

Having a hobby is a great stress-reliever and enriches our lives. Some things we have decided to try as a family are: rather than going to a movie, go fishing at the river or for a picnic at the park or go riding bikes. Rather than take the kids to the fair (very costly) we could visit the museum or art gallery (much cheaper) and do some follow up activities to learn more about what we see. This summer I want my boys to play on the informal--and free--local ball team. There are many hobbies to be had that do not need to cost much money if you are creative. Have you got any low-cost, high entertainment hobbies that you could add to the list?

Thrifty Thursday: You Might Not Always Be "Cool"

This is my seventh "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

Husband and I just returned from a short trip--it was with a group of friends--and I went into the trip wondering how frugality and group travel would mix. There was a time in my life where I would have overspent, you see, so that I didn't stand out as "cheap" or unable to afford. The wonderful thing about growing older is that I am so comfortable in my own skin these days; I had no problem opting out of $500 helicopter rides and outlet mall shopping trips. I explained that we have a few things we are saving for once we get home again and that we had pre-booked the one attraction we really wanted to see. After that, we took part in what we chose and did not apologize or make excuses as to why we weren't spending more money.

We set a limit on what we planned to spend and came in at 10% lower than expected. Here are a few of the things we did that saved us money:

• we used the coupons we were given by our hotel
• I kept a booklet of coupons in my purse and checked for coupons before we did anything. Quite often we had 2 for 1 or money off. A friend also got us a deal on an exhibit
• we pre-booked a shuttle from airport to hotel and back at a round trip cost of $14 each, as opposed to the $25 cab ride that friends took (each way) 
• we walked almost everywhere, sharing cab rides between the group if it was too far to walk
• we took advantage of the offer of a free breakfast and lunch and received free tickets to an exhibit in exchange for sitting through a time share presentation
• we were also able to get 3 friends their tickets at 50% off
• we bought our beverages at out of the way shops and kept a cooler of ice in our room (no fridges) in order to keep the price of drinks down. A friend spent $7 on a pepsi at a popular attraction! If we were thirsty we brought our own or waited until we found water for $1
• I avoided shopping altogether. I explained that there is nothing I am looking for and our luggage was full already. Since I am not a shopper it was not hard for me to avoid the malls although a part of me wished for a new purse!
• I refused to pay to have my picture taken and then pay $15 or $20 to buy the picture after our tour ended. Sorry, we have lots of pictures of our trip!
• We spent only $20 on souvenirs. 

I found the least socially-acceptable part of my frugality was my determination not to bring back toys for my kids. It can be hard for people to understand that my kids are not given "stuff" unless it is a birthday or Christmas. Even then, I try to give them useful, well made and educational things. And although much of what people bought for their kids was useful (they found great deals on school clothes, shoes and cleats) my kids are given great quality hand-me-downs for free. Shopping with people who plan to spend all day looking for deals just doesn't work for me if I am shopping for things I get for free. We found a meaningful gift for each of our sons (a small bag each of beautiful stones to add to their rock collections). We watched for something special and when we saw it, we spent the money to get them one thing each. And you know what? They were thrilled. They have taken their rocks to show gramma, they have played with them since we got home, and they will remember the significance of that one simple gift.

I realize that some of our travel companions might have considered me "strict" or "cheap" and I accept that. I feel that while there is a grain of truth in those labels I am more than anything determined--determined not to be blown off course by a desire to fit in or impress, and determined to set an example for my boys that fun and travel and experiences need not incur debt and stress and "stuff". We had a nice time. We had a couple wonderful meals that were not that pricey but made me feel truly on vacation. I came home relaxed, refreshed, ready to take on winter and, more than anything, missing my kids and wanting to be with them. We achieved everything we set out to do and did it under budget. It doesn't matter to me that I may not be "trendy" or "cool" while I did it ;) Do you find it hard to stay on budget when you travel, or can you share some tricks for saving money while away from home?

Thrifty Thursday: Treat it Like A Job

This is my sixth "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

As a stay-at-home mom, I've often wondered if going back to (paid) work might benefit our family financially, or if I would simply be spinning my wheels to pay a sitter and end up with someone else raising my kids for little financial gain. In my situation I wouldn't earn a great deal more than I would be paying out, once you include the price of fuel for the 45 km (one way) trip to town. Over the years, many of my mom-friends and I have discussed the topic and I thought that I would share something that I said a few years ago. Before I do, I also want to add that every family is different and some need the extra bucks badly enough that, yes, both parents do work. Some families are single working parents, and some parents work and put their children in daycare because that is how they choose to raise their kids. I am not here to judge anyone or say any one method is better than another. I just want to toss around some frugal ideas.

In a conversation a few years ago I said "While my kids are little like this, I don't think of it as how much I can earn but instead I am working on how much I can save".

And I feel like, especially during the lean years where we bought our first house and money was tight when J was a baby, I tried to treat frugality like it was a part-time job. Because I was at home and had some time, I shopped kijiji for second-hand baby items (only for things that did not come to us for free, which most things did). I had my first garden and became hooked on growing our food. But most importantly, I developed the attitude that if half an hour, an hour, two hours a week of my time could save us $30, $50, $100, then it was like I had earned us that money without leaving home or getting a sitter. I want to be clear though: sitting on the internet online shopping is NOT going to save you money unless you only shop for necessary things. Justifying more purchases because they were second hand or on sale or free shipping is a slippery slope. But finding deals on gifts that you would have to buy anyways, waiting to buy something you need until the deal you want turns up, and taking the time to compare prices is something that can be done whether you are employed or not. Treat it like a little part time job that Saves rather than Earns.

An example of this is years ago I went through all of our statements while the baby was asleep. I realized that we had life insurance on our camper payment while also paying for life insurance through a broker. I took the time to inquire about cancelling the policy on the camper, discovered that if I did so over $2000 could be put towards paying off the camper. In the long run, making a simple phone call and following through on the paper work (all while my baby slept!) saved us thousands of dollars on the camper and interest over the period of the loan. During that same time I found that Husband was paying a $20/month fee for his debit card so that he could use any ATM without additional fees! By then we had switched to using the credit card for all purchases so we could collect the Air Miles and he hadn't used his debit card in months. So he was throwing away $20/month in unnecessary fees. Once I cancelled that I put the extra $20/month onto other payments that we were paying interest on. We hadn't noticed the money missing before and just a bit of work on my part redirected that money to paying off debt rather than paying a bank. When we used to have different payments, as soon as one thing was payed off I increased the payment on another by that amount--saving us interest and never allowing us to get used to having that extra money to spend. Within a couple years our only payment was our mortgage and camper.

It is time for me to go through all of our statements again and see where we are leaking money. Recently I caught a fee on our credit card--Sirius Satellite Radio was charging Husband an extra $40 every 3 months for a radio he doesn't even have activated. Although I don't think they are going to reimburse us at least we have put an end to them charging an extra $160/year for a service we aren't using. I feel like if I can save us dollars and cents by actively being frugal and treating money saved like money earned I am contributing to our household income in a tiny way. Husband never has work done on his truck without calling around for quotes and comparing prices. Even this small action has saved thousands over the years. Instead of blindly spending we are trying to get a good look at where our money goes and when the price isn't right we try to wait until the right deal comes along.

I had good luck selling the bit of baby stuff we bought. Most everything came to us from friends, but I did buy a swing and cloth diapers (found them online, a girl was given so many at a diaper shower that she sold a bunch of unused diapers at used prices. Score!). Once I was done with them, I kept the ads up on kijiji until items like that sold, and I delivered them only when I was already planning a trip to town. Sometimes selling things online is a nuisance (generally I have had poor luck and find it very frustrating) but in the instance where the items are in good condition and worth enough money, I try to keep at it and treat it like it's a job. The items that were given to us have been passed on to others for free or saved for my brother and his wife who are now expecting a baby (whoo hoo!!). We always pass on free baby stuff to friends or donate it, but I do try to get some money back out of the things we spent money on.

Once my kids are both in school full-time I may return to work a few days a week and contribute more to our household income. In the event of a crisis I may have to go to work. For now our situation allows me to be home with our kids and try to monitor where money is going. As long as we can afford it this arrangement is working for us. Can you share any ideas where I might save more/earn a few extra dollars from home? I am open to suggestions :)

Thrifty Thursday: Make Your Own "Junk" Food

This is my fifth "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

If, like me, you are trying to stick to a grocery budget then you know that buying snacks adds up quickly. I don't mean fruits and veggies--although they add up fast, too--I consider fruits and veggies a staple for our snacks and try to grow as much as I can and keep my kids on the daily recommended servings. I am talking the cost of sweet and salty treats.

If you walk down the cracker/cookie aisle at the grocery store you are entering an empty calorie zone. Although some of the products might boast "whole grains" or "low sodium" or "organic" ingredients, it is all processed and packaged far away and trucked to us and beyond all the other reasons to avoid it it also costs. too. much.

So what can we do to satisfy little cravings or my own total weakness for carbs and a hint of salt? Here are some treats that I make at home for my kids and for Husband's lunches (some of these are healthier than others--it's a post about junk food, after all!)

• popcorn: popcorn is our #1 family favorite treat. J, the 5 year old, chomps it down and hoards the bowl. I buy the jug of popcorn for $5-ish and our occasional treat works out to just cents per serving. A no brainer. And if you limit the salt and butter I don't consider it altogether unhealthy especially compared to chips etc.
• kale chips: my kids love them. I love them. Husband even loves them. I cut out any larger ribs and rip the leaves into bit sized pieces, coat the inside of a bowl with olive oil then flip the kale around in the bowl until lightly oiled. Spread on parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with parmesan and just a hint of sea salt and bake at 375 for approx 10 minutes, checking often. We like the chips to have a good crunch. I try to grow more kale every year for this reason alone (I also steam it and chop it to freeze for throwing into casseroles all winter). Next year I need to dedicate a much bigger space for some succession planting.
• I made beet chips the other day for our snack. I sliced them very thin, tossed with olive oil then baked on my cooling racks. I think they would get crispier if I bake them next time on cookie sheets. The kids ate them for awhile and said they were "ok". I actually liked them but want to get them "crunchier" without burning them. It is definitely something I will try to improve upon because I can grow the beets and they are so good for us!

• homemade baking: I know that sweets are not the best thing to give my kids, but baking with my mom is a very happy childhood memory and I want my kids to have that experience. Wherever possible I reduce salt and sugar, use apple sauce instead of oil, substitute whole grains and talk with my kids about eating sweets in moderation. We rarely ever buy baking, particularly packaged cookies and the like. This also helps keep the cost of Husband's lunches under control--when you work a 12 hour day it is necessary to eat a lot of calories! I would rather he eat my baking than fill his diet with store bought sweets full of preservatives. 
• some recipes I've shared in the past:  pumpkin bread, peanut butter cookies

A great way to save on groceries is to eliminate snacks altogether. I no longer buy juice and my kids really didn't complain. What is never there does not get asked for! The same goes for snacks...if I or my kids know there is junk food in the house we gravitate towards it. If it's not there we are saving money while also eating better. When fruit or veggies just doesn't satisfy a craving, we have some frugal homemade options to fall back on :) Do you have any favourite homemade snacks you would like to recommend?

Thrifty Thursday: Stockpiling a Pantry

This is my fourth "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

If you are a regular reader of this blog (there are a couple of you out there LOL) then you know I talk a lot about reducing our spending, frugality, simplicity, cooking from scratch and making do with what we have. It is important to me that my kids grow up understanding these values (I can't make them "share" my values, but I hope that by being raised this way and discussing consumerism they will think twice about acquiring debt for more gadgets and seeking the instant gratification of more "stuff". A topic for another post, perhaps). It makes sense to me to add having a stocked pantry to the above list. I am in the process of buying a few extras here and there (when they are on special) so that I never have to run to the store (a 25 minute drive) and pay full price because I "ran out" of something essential (flour, etc). There are a few reasons I have always kept a stocked pantry:

• I live in western Canada and the weather can prevent travel when you live out of town. I am also a home-body and don't make extra trips to town if I can help it.
• We have experienced power outages that have lasted 3-4 days in the past. I like to have a plan in place for events like that. We now have a wood stove--I can cook on it or my BBQ--but that means having wood available and propane in the tank. It also means having some food on hand for those emergencies.
• As I mentioned, we live in western Canada. Whether you like it or not, western Canadians depend greatly on the oil and gas industry for their income--directly or indirectly. This is not a space where I want to debate the evils of the oil sands or the long term effects of fossil fuels. Tne fact is if you are a waitress you depend on oil money for your tips, if you are a carpenter you have been busy for years because of the oil boom, and on and on. The drop in the price of oil has left many people scrambling, some have been out of work for months. Having a stocked pantry can help get families through periods of less or no income. Being creative in the kitchen can stretch food dollars to make it paycheque to paycheque. For me, it only makes sense to try to save on food and have extra set aside for the unexpected.

So what are some items that I choose to stockpile?

Baking supplies: I bake most of our bread so flour and yeast, sugar, brown sugar and various grains top my list.
Drinks, including 5 gallon jugs of water: (our well water is not safe to drink) I notice the price of coffee fluctuates week to week. I keep a few extra cans around and buy more when it is on special. I can't be without my morning coffee! I also have an assortment of teas, some of which are medicinal.
Rice: I buy large bags of basmati rice because we love it and it is just a good staple to keep around.
Pasta and lentils: I keep a box of whole wheat lasagna noodles around for when I freeze lasagna to eat later. The kids like pasta and I plan to keep some extra on hand as we go into the winter months. Also pot barley, split peas etc for soup.
Household Supplies: Recently I bought a couple extra bottles of laundry detergent and dish soap that were either on special or had a coupon. Why pay full price because I've ran out and desperately need to do laundry? Toilet paper is something I really resent spending money on. And I don't love
the cheapest varieties. But really how much money should we spend on something that literally gets flushed down the toilet? So I try to keep extra rolls in house so we never have to run to the gas station and pay quadruple, or pay full price at the grocery store. The key is to watch for a decent brand being on sale. I use some shaklee cleaners that I bought years ago. It seems like a lifetime supply because I have had them for years and there is still plenty. While I do try to stay environmentally friendly I also have some cleaners that were the free gift at Superstore as a back up.
Canned Goods: Various soups and vegetables, primarily whole and crushed tomatoes. Last year my garden provided me with several months worth that I had canned or frozen. My plan is to eventually put up our annual supply of tomatoes. I like to have some canned chick peas and other beans on hand for when I've forgotten to soak dried ones overnight. Soup is handy for when we are in a rush or I'm just too busy or tired to make some from scratch.
Cooking oil was an in-store special the other day and I bought another 3 litre jug although I already had one to spare. I also have 3 or 4 gallons of vinegar in my garden shed because I use it to kill weeds. It is also handy to have for cleaning and making my wonderful sweet and sour sauce :) Aluminum Foil is so helpful with outdoor cooking and I got two 50' rolls on sale recently.

There are other things that I hate to be without--obviously toothpaste and shower supplies. We use Epsom salts in the kids' baths and I use them in the garden as well. I have a full spice cupboard that I really treasure. Cutting condiments out of our grocery list is better for the bank account as well as the health, generally, so herbs and spices can go a long way to add variety to our food.

There are probably more things to add to this list, and it obviously doesn't include what I stockpile in the freezer. I didn't include perishable but long-storing vegetables like potatoes and onions but I do always have them on hand whether from my garden, my mom's or the store. As we get better at self-sufficiency these are things that we would always provide for ourselves. Do you have any items to add to my list, or do you stockpile food for emergencies/security? 

Thrifty Thursday: Couponing for the Non-Committed

This is my third "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

Like me, you have probably heard of people saving hundreds of dollars by extreme couponing, although I've never watched the show by that same name. I know a lady who was actually paid for some things (I mean, she got the product for free plus she was paid a few cents! When I get a chance I'm going to get her to explain that one to me!)

Unfortunately, my own attempts at using coupons have been haphazard and usually leave me frustrated (forget to use them) or annoyed (clutter of newspapers/recycling/only coupons for things I don't need etc). But I have also been getting more serious about stockpiling certain items (a post related to that is coming soon) and so it makes sense to watch for coupons for the things that I don't need immediately but want to acquire in quantities.

I saw something on Pinterest that helped explain a few basics of couponing. If you are interested you can read more here. For the time being I want to use coupons to help me 1) reduce our current grocery spending and 2) help build a stockpile of certain household items (which should in turn also help us reduce spending). I am only willing to commit a bit of time to this per week, however, so I have a few guidelines for myself and I'll see how it goes.

1. Pick up the Sunday and Wednesday papers regularly (we now have a worm composting bin in which I use a lot of shredded newspaper, so the mess is less of a concern these days. I also use newspaper to start the wood stove, and we recycle)

2. Check online for manufacturer's coupons the night before I shop. Print and clip. (This will usually be Monday nights as I prefer to shop early Tuesday mornings)

3. Menu plan according to what's fresh in the garden, what needs used up in the fridge/freezer, and what is on special at the grocer.

4. If and when there are enough deals at a store that is not my regular grocery stop, I will go with a list and do a partial shop there. This might include ten-for-ten dollars days at the Co-op (usually get ten canned items for ten dollars, etc) or their meat sale. It does not help me to go to the extremely busy Co-op on 10% off Tuesdays, though, as it is more expensive than Superstore to start with. With two small helpers along on my once-a-week trip to town, multiple stops are near impossible. By the time we do all our errands we are exhausted and starved, so one-stop shopping was mandatory. when they were smaller. This fall, however, my big boy is starting kindergarten and will go on the bus to school every second day for the whole day. So there will be times that I have only one helper which will make it easier and will mean more room in the car.

5. By checking out the flyers before shopping, I will not need to circle the whole grocery store looking for deals (and therefore will succumb less to impulse buying!). I always write my list out in order of where things are, so I can continue to do that and will not, for example, go down the baking aisle if I know that flour is not on special that week etc. This should help curb the non-essential spending.

6. Once I get a feel for how often things go on special I will be more systematic about stockpiling. I read that sales happen on weekly cycles. Once I have those figured out I will report back and it will be easier for me to predict what I'll be buying.

7. I will continue to check the coupon wall as I enter Superstore (my main shopping choice). Twice recently the "coupon wall" has burned me with expired coupons, so I must remember to read the fine print before I use them! I use my points card and I pick up the weekly coupon for the free item if I spend the required amount. My goal is to not spend the required amount but, experience tells me, there is usually one week a month where I get a bigger amount of groceries. Why not time this with a decent free item (or bonus points for free groceries) especially if the money is spent when the groceries are already on special? This is how I hope that stockpiling will help save us money in the long run.

Some of the free items I have received over the years include: Rubbermaid food storage containers (twice), coffee travel mugs, battery pack and flashlight combo (gave away as a Christmas present), men's shaving kit (gave away as Christmas gift), various shower packs for women (I usually donate these unopened to the women's shelter at Christmas time), toothbrush and toothpaste combo worth $30 (it was whitening toothpaste which hurts our teeth, so I donated it to the food bank), free light bulbs, free cleaning product combos, you name it.

One other thing I should add is that I try to pick two on-special items every week that my kids deposit in the food bank bin on our way out of the store. I want them to be aware of our abundance and take their responsibility to help others seriously. If they don't understand that other families don't have enough, of course they won't grow up concerned about it. While I do think food banks and shelters are only band-aid solutions for deeper social issues, they do what they can to help and we must try to help too. I also engage the kids in conversations about homelessness, job loss, the working poor, etc, to try to help them understand where that donation is going. If I can be watching flyers for good deals and coupons this will also mean more donations to the food bank.

How I Did This Week:

Last week's shopping turned into a frugal failure. This week I went through the weekly flyer (discovered that laundry soap regular $18.98 was on for $10.98-so I got two). It is interesting to note that the Sunlight detergent in the flyer was an $8 savings each, while I had clipped a manufacturer's coupon that would save $2 if I bought 2 Tide products. I saved $16 by cross-referencing with the weekly flyer :)

We loooove Frank's RedHot Bollywood and I had a coupon to save 50 cents so I purchased one bottle. In comparing my grocery receipts I saw that last month the in-store special on the same sauce was over a dollar cheaper--SIGH--a person could really go in circles doing this! What I learned from that is to save my manufacturer's coupons to combine with the lower in-store price. That means checking the weekly flyer before I shop. If I had used the coupon the previous month I would have had the sauce for half price, so I am going to try to be much more aware of prices and, if I can get a decent stockpile, never pay full price for my groceries again :)

Thrifty Thursday: Cooking in Batches

This is my second "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

As a stay-at-home-mom, I am very fortunate to have the time to bake and cook from scratch. I am really so grateful that I am home every day with my kids. The flip side to that is that I am home everyday, EVERY. DAY. with my kids!!

Let's just say that as much as I like preparing the meals that we eat, I do like a break from it now and again. Likewise, we are often out and about and returning home at meal time can be an ordeal if I am not well-prepared. It often leads to impulsive trips for take-out food as we leave town, or expensive ready made meals from the grocery store. On average it is about $40-50 to feed my family of four a meal of fried chicken or Chinese food. That leaves enough for Husband to take a lunch the next day, but is not comparable to a homemade meal that might feed us all for under $10.

So, to combat boredom with the every day meal preparation around here, and to be better organized for our busy times, I have begun cooking batches of food on Wednesdays. Last week I made an extra large batch of meat sauce and from it made a lasagna to freeze for another day.

 The remaining sauce was also frozen and can be served over pasta or combined with beans and spices to make a quick chili. If these two frozen dishes prevent us eating take-out twice in the next month, that is a savings of $80 or more. I estimate that the sauce cost me less than $7 because the hamburger came free from my parents' farm. Even with the cost of cottage cheese, lasagna noodles and mozzarella on top, these are some frugal options when we are in a hurry. I am so fortunate to have a small chest freezer and a stand-up freezer in which to store extra meals. For anyone interested, I have written about cooking in batches here and here.

Do you ever prepare food ahead of time? Can you suggest any meals that are quick to prepare when we are on the run?

Thrifty Thursday: Make Your Own Spice Mixes

For the next while I hope to blog consistently about budgeting and reducing my grocery spending. Ideally I will come up with a new thrifty topic to post on Thursdays. As I was thinking about the subject I realized I am almost out of oregano (which I didn't grow in my garden this year). I was making a lasagna to freeze (part of my effort to stop bringing home take-out after a long day in town) and remembered that I used to mix my own Italian blend of herbs. There are a multitude of recipes online (pinterest, allrecipes.com, etc) but most of them have some variation of the following herbs: equal parts thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram, basil, sage, rosemary. There were recipes that added other ingredients, if you want to go more complex, but I think I used to use marjoram, basil and thyme on their own as a substitute for oregano.

homemade gravy mix

I have posted before on making my own spice blends. I now make my own gravy mix, blackened seasoning for salmon or chicken, taco seasoning, and I have recently begun seasoning popcorn with spices I have on hand. Rather than buying pre-mixed packages of seasonings it makes more sense for me to buy the most common herbs and mix them as I need them. It is about $5 for the popcorn seasoning my son likes and it is soooo salty (not to mention anti-clumping agents and goodness knows what other preservatives). All I need to do is look on pinterest to find cheap, make-your-own blends and have fun experimenting.

The idea behind my Thrifty Thursday posts is to share some of what I'm trying here as I attempt to curb our spending. Creating your own seasonings might not save you a noticeable amount of money but it is a start, and I need to start somewhere!