To Do Tuesday: Before and After--From Dumping Ground to Craft Room After five weeks of being defeated by a degenerative disc, and a hubby who barely keeps the kids and laundry clean when I'm out of commission, I decided to do something big for my first To Do Tuesday back: a Before and After picture.
Things that needed to be done: remove everything, assign it all to individual zones, take out things that didn't really belong (hubby's clothes go in another closet, summer clothes should be in boxes, etc...), reorganize the items that do belong, put everything back, set up my sewing table/craft area... I may have left something out, but you'll see it all in the before and after pictures.
From his and hers closet/dumping ground, to her closet and craft room.
Here's the BEFORE:
Everything was just tossed anyplace... It was all crazy, in there! I don't understand how I survived, this way.
And now, (drum roll please) the after:
Now, it's a serious thing of beauty. I am amazed at how well I did, having tonsillitis and battling a fever. I had to work for 30-40 minutes, and rest a few minutes, then start all over. At least I got it done! I love my new space! I don't really feel well enough to get in there and create, but when I do, it will be ready.
Check back tomorrow for Wordy Wednesday, when I'll post an excerpt from one of my works in progress.
In the meantime, I'd like to educate you on the dangers of the high five handshake.
A friend of mine recently asked for advice on a grocery budget. So, I decided to post on my blog about how I budget for our family.
First off, I tend to use our crock pot a great deal. I can fill it up with all kinds of goodies, set the controls, and leave it to cook. This not only helps with my financial budget, but it also helps with my time budget. This is something you will need to know, when looking at my example month. Another thing you should probably know: I have the entire month's grocery money at the beginning of the month, so I tend to buy the majority of our food on the first trip of the month.
I plan out a week of lunches, first, and figure out how much I believe each of my family members will actually eat. Then, I multiply that by two (we have the same thing for supper as we do for lunch). So, if I say I want fish and chips on Friday, I know that hubby and I will each eat two pieces, and each of the boys will eat 1/2 a piece. So, that comes to five pieces of fish. If we eat the same for supper, and I add another fish to the final sum (maybe one of the kids is a little hungrier than normal), I get eleven fish. There's our lunch and supper for that one day!
I go through seven days like that, and multiply by three. Now, I need 33 pieces of fish. We do not have to have it on Friday, but we've enough fish to cover six meals for the month, with just a little left over. Wow! You're probably saying that's a lotta fish! Yes, yes it is. Hear me out, if you are going to have that much fish, anyway, is it not better to buy it in bulk in order to get a steeper discount?
Once I've gotten lunch and supper figured out, I decide on a week of breakfasts. Lets take eggs, example. I want to make fried egg sandwiches for everyone, one morning. Hubby eats two eggs and two pieces of bread, as do I. The boys each get one egg and one piece of bread. So, for one fried egg sandwich breakfast we need six eggs and six pieces of bread. If every week we want to have fried egg sandwiches once a week, we'll need two cartons of eggs for that entire month. I also know that five eggs will render six pieces of french toast, in our house, and that hubby likes a boiled egg every now and then. So, I buy another couple of cartons of eggs half way through the month (this goes on my master list of things I usually need to refill). I do the same with the bread, and usually add an extra loaf to the list (you can always use more bread... Never know when someone may just feel like a sandwich).
You're also probably wondering why I only figure for three weeks on the lunches and suppers. Well, everyone has a night where they decide to order pizza, or they eat at Grammy's, or they decide to have a ham sandwich instead of cooking the planned meal... then there's also the left overs that may be in the refrigerator. So, things tend to balance out. Since most of the main dishes are frozen, if we don't get to eating those meals this month, they'll keep for next month, and I can have a smaller list then.
Again, I love my crock pot, because it sometimes renders more than two meals at the time. We once ate the same soup (I had to add more meat and vegies to the broth, half way through the week) for a week! I just leave my crock plugged in and turned on. It's always hot, it's always ready, no matter when we want to eat. We also use a rice cooker. Again, it's always ready because I keep it filled. If it gets empty, I fill it with new rice, and turn it on. Rice just goes well with most of what I make in the crock pot. There are all kinds of recipes for the crock pot. I found one on ribs and baked potatoes.
Along with breakfast, lunch, and supper, you'll want to budget for snacks. Fruit is going to be the least expensive snack. We tend to use canned for the end of the month, and fresh at the beginning and middle of the month. Grapes, strawberries, and bananas are a big hit if we're talkin' fresh fruit in our house. Canned oranges, peaches, and pears are our go to on the last week. Sometimes, our entire lunch or supper consists of just this huge plate of fruit that we all eat from. Frozen is an option, if you'd like to purchase that in bulk. Just remember that, if left in the freezer for very long, it may come out a little mushy. Which isn't so bad, if you have vanilla ice cream and a blender, because everyone likes fruit shakes. We also get snack cakes, and (Mommy's guilty pleasure) Reese's (the boys call them Momm's chocolate).
Now, you know what you want, and you have your list (what you want, and how much of it you'll need). Some people use coupons, some shop around at different stores, and others buy at the warehouse stores. I, however, am a die hard Kroger customer (they are not paying me for this blog). I like to shop there because I earn fuel points. In today's economy, we need all the help we can get affording gas. Another plus of shopping at the same store every time: you'll start to learn the prices, and will be able to recognize when something is really on sale, or if it's only a few cents off from what it normally is. Kroger also has 10 for $10, which, if I'm not careful, I'll spend $20-$30 on... but mostly I've memorized the store. That's an important thing, when trying to keep your grocery budget small. You don't want to have to go down every aisle every time. Those sales are set in specific ways to get your attention, and to make you want to buy the items. It's their business, and they do it well! I only go down a lane that I know there's something I need. I also shop the outside edges first! My mother actually shops the lanes first, but that's just craziness, people! All the healthier foods are on the outside. The delli, the bakery, the produce, milk, eggs, meats, and cheeses are on the outside. Most of the outside items are must haves. The things on the inside, while you may need them, are not always the healthiest. Fresh veggies are healthier then canned with added salt and sugar. I do have to have juice and cereal, which come from the inner aisles. As well as bread and canned milk. While going after the things I need, I don't usually stop to pick up much else, since my buggy is full of things from the outside aisles. (Oh! Cookies!!! Nope. Grapes and bananas are sweet, and they're healthier... and already in my buggy. So, no cookies today. Perhaps another day.) If you're shopping at Wal-Mart, they have lots of things you need in bulk, so you'll save money that way (again, not being paid by the store). Another good thing about Kroger: "race cars" (match box cars) are usually on their 10 for $10. They make great bribes--I mean, "just because you were good" gifts, for kids that behave in the store and don't ask for every bag of chips and every box of doughnuts they see... 'cause Mommy only has so much will power.
I also keep a weekly shopping list. Because it goes bad too quickly, I can't buy the bread we need for the entire month. Also, we don't have enough room in our refrigerator for more than a week's worth of milk. Things that will go bad, I figure out how much we will need for a weeks, and purchase them on my weekly shopping trip. I try very hard not to get more than we need. Throwing away food is like throwing away money. When we do have left overs that are pet friendly, I give them to the pets. Tiny Tim the Turtle gets a piece of moldy bread (not the moldy pieces), Brutus the Brother Dog gets the left overs from the kids' plates, and anything we have to pull from the refrigerator that we're not going to eat. This is how we make the pet food stretch juuust a bit farther.
So, to review, I keep my budget as low as possible by making a meal plan for the month, from which I make a shopping list. Then, I only get what's on the list, by not going down aisles that don't house anything I need. I also shop the outside aisles first, because they are healthier.
The first month that you do this, I suggest saving your shopping list(s) and your receipts. This way, you'll be able to track spending. Also, keep a list of things that didn't get consumed that month, so you can figure out how to cut back on spending money on things that don't actually get used/left overs. Best way to track what's not used: When something goes empty, write it on the new list. Compare the last month's list with the new one for this month. He hubby is often impressed with the amount of work I actually put into the planning of the grocery list and budget, and sometimes irritated because I do take some time getting ready to go. Which is why i usually do it the day before I plan to go to the store.
A few more tips: buy in season, save your broth (from soups) in the freezer, make left over omelets once a week (Hmm... a little fish, some sausage, tomatoes, green beans, chicken, rice, b-b-q sauce..... Hubby was surprised it tasted good), and buy peanut butter and jelly in case you don't have enough for the entire month... or you need a break from cooking.
