Menu Planning

It has been too long since I posted last. I need to get back into a regular schedule. If we can just make it to the end of school without going completely crazy, I will be happy. :-)

I thought I would give more details this time on how to make your plan for the week. I omit some of my steps when I write here, so this week I will *really* let you know about my process.

The foundation of all of this is a budget. I didn't used to have a strict budget. We used to just buy groceries, go out, spend money...we were living within our means, but I think we would have saved SOOOOOO much money if I had done then what I am doing now.

We recently (last year) discovered Dave Ramsey. His advice is just like everyone else's...but in a slightly different order. It really works. His advice about budgeting is to tell EVERY PENNY of your income where to go in your budget. Start with housing, groceries, transportation, then go to the extras like cable, restaurants, entertainment. In order to do that, you will have to gather 6-12 months of bills, credit card statements...all evidence of your spending habits. I know what our average electricity bill is and I budget for that average every month. If we don't spend all of that, it goes into an allocated savings account for the months (usually the summertime) when our bills are higher than average.

When you set your groceries budget (or any of them), be reasonable. If you have been spending $800 a month on groceries, don't set a budget of $200. You won't make it. You will be discouraged. You need a win. This is where Dave Ramsey is different - he talks about how finances are 20% knowledge and 80% emotion. Give yourself a reasonable amount and try to see if you can spend less than that. If you do, set the bar lower until you find the equilibrium. If you don't, try to analyze what you are doing wrong.

So now that you have your budget, Dave Ramsey recommends using a cash system. Emotionally, laying $100 in cash on the counter to pay for those groceries hurts A LOT more than swiping your plastic. Since we are on a tight budget, I like to buy scrip (grocery store gift cards) from my DD's school so that I am making a "donation" to the school to help pay for some of the extra activities at the school, but it isn't any additional money out of our budget. However you choose to do it, the bottom line is that when the cash is gone, you'd better find a way to make some meals out of what you have in your pantry until next month.

Speaking of meals, make a list of the meals that you usually make. I have about 12. I listed all the items I need to make those meals. Stockpile the staples: condensed soup, rice, flour, beans, canned vegetables, pasta, spaghetti sauce...Keep those items on hand so that you can always fill in with fresh ingredients for your meal. Nothing is worse than having lots of food in your pantry, but not having the ability to make any meals because you are missing ingredients.

NOW you are ready to plan your meals. This week, there is LOTS of produce on sale. Blueberries are inexpensive at both Sprouts and Vons, corn is on sale at Sprouts for 25 cents each, watermelon is only 20 cents a pound at Sprouts, zucchini and broccoli are 88 cents per pound at Sprouts, pork chops and flank steak are on sale at Sprouts...I spent $34 on about 3-4 bags of food at Sprouts yesterday!
So our meal plan this week includes flank steak on the grill with corn and salad, pork chops with sweet potatoes and salad, fish (there are some sales at Vons) with couscous and salad, we had burritos/nachos last night, and hot dogs and beans with fruit salad for a quick and easy meal. (Did you notice the salads? Decided my family needed to be eating more fresh veggies. ;-) )

It is an involved process to do this the first time. But once you have done it, you will have more control and more knowledge of your spending habits. And then hopefully more money in your savings account!

Good luck to you!
--Katie

Stockpile Tips in Preparation for Summer

I recently posed a question to a wonderful facebook group and they had some interesting answers. I asked them what each of them had in their stockpile. It led to a great discussion and insight into what everyone uses. There were moms who managed to stockpile enough diapers and wipes to last them until the end of their potty-training, some ladies who clearly need coffee as much as I do, and others who have enough personal care items to take care of their own families and still have plenty to donate to local shelters!
Many of the women have one room that they store things in. Sometimes it is a guest room, sometimes it is the garage. I personally store my items nearby the purpose they serve (i.e. laundry soap is in the garage just outside the laundry room so I can grab some quickly, shampoo and body wash is stored in the bathroom, etc). One of the women had a great suggestion: how about making a list of things that are safe to stockpile in the garage in the desert?

Of course I have this blog specifically to help people in the Coachella Valley to save money and nothing is worse than having to throw out food, so here are some pointers on what to store in the garage and when.

I did a quick search of the web for proper storage of stockpiled items. Most of the websites that popped up were in reference to stockpiling for emergencies, but the pointers they provide could apply to any food that you are planning to store long-term. Also, many of the couponing blogs are written by people who live in areas that have temperatures below freezing. They all have great basements or root cellars where the temperature generally stays the same all year. There's the key!

Most non-perishable and personal items are made to be stored at room temperature. So around 75 degrees is optimal. Unless your garage is air conditioned, move those items out of the garage. Canned items are not made to be frozen or heated before you open them, so keep this in mind when choosing where to store your items. Dry, cool, and dark is best.

Another consideration is plastic: if you have plastic bottles of water, juice, or other beverages that are contained in #7 plastic, do not store these in the garage if the temperature will get above 75-80 degrees. The chemicals in the plastic (specifically Bisphenol-A or BPA) will start to leach into the beverage, exposing you and your family to harmful substances. If your plastic bottles are not #7, you probably are ok except that the manufacturer has formulated the beverage for storage at room temperature and you might end up with something that tastes a little funny when you get around to drinking it.

Also, at the temperatures we experience, personal items could potentially melt...think deodorant, maybe the little lotion strips on razors, etc.

Don't store batteries in the garage! That is one non-food item that does NOT tolerate heat.

So what's left?

Not much. Laundry soap? Cleaning items? I would say these are safe to store in the garage. Soap, toothbrushes, and shampoos are probably safe too. Anything you won't ingest is probably good for the garage.

The rest? Keep it inside until November when it finally cools down again. :-)
 --Katie

May has arrived...

...And our temperatures are starting to feel like summer... no May flowers here! :-)

It seems we are sprinting to the end of the school year. Activities are building up to the final shows and parties, the end of the year parties at school are shaping up, and I am beginning to worry that I won't be able to keep my kids busy once it all ends! In the meantime, I have no extra time to think between now and June 8.

I was able to pick up some "real" work (you know, the kind where you get a paycheck at the end), so that's complicating the matter. In fact, I really shouldn't be blogging right now, but, as they say: "all work and no play..."

I was very excited after giving my couponing presentation to a couple people at the College of the Desert. That was really fun and I hope I get to do it again. I talked about how to get started...I feel like I need a follow-up workshop though to really go through the process and do a whole shopping trip with everyone!

My couponing has been crazy...on again off again. I still managed to save 40% at Vons last week, but it makes me wonder if I couldn't have saved more. I have to let it go and do what I can, though...no one is perfect. The Vons Just 4 U program has been great...there are alot of online coupons, personalized deals, and unadvertised club deals that you can find on that website. Also, they recently released an iPhone app, so I am in hog heaven. When I have an app where I can do all my couponing and list-making in the car, at dance class, or waiting for my DD during pickup at school, that saves me so much time. (If I ever have to downgrade to a regular mobile phone, I think I will go through serious withdrawal!)

I know it is late, but if you can get to Vons before tomorrow, they have a great deal on lots of items...buy 8 and receive a discount. Specifically, I was able to get Rosarita refried beans for 80 cents a can. That's about as cheap as they come. It actually worked out pretty nicely since I was running low! There are some other items included in the sale as well. They generally run this type of sale over a couple weeks, so hopefully it will continue into next week too. In a couple hours I will know for sure...ads will be in my mailbox. :-)

Also, the new P&G coupon insert came in the paper this weekend, so that's an exciting time in the couponing world. (And I swear I am NOT being facetious. It really *is* exciting!)

This month should be very interesting for shopping and meal planning. I am going to crack the whip and really try to stay way under my budget for this month. It will be difficult since it will be very tempting to go out when we are so busy. But this is when it really counts. If I get to the end of the month and we have only gone out a couple times, I will be really proud of the effort I made to save money. And if I get to the end of the month and we went out more than I wanted, it is time to step up the meal planning efforts. I will let you know what my meal plans are and how things go.

Come tell me how you are doing, too.
Good luck to you!
--Katie 

Happy Earth Day!

I have been remiss at posting here lately...last week was crazy. School functions, real work to do, sewing to tackle, cleaning up around the house; I even gave a talk about how to get set up for couponing at the community college for their financial awareness week! It was fun and I hope I get to do it again.

Because we have been so busy, I haven't been cutting my coupons lately. I have been just putting the date on the top and filing them and then just cutting the coupons I need for my shopping trips. It has kept me from doing too much impulse buying, which is the one thing that can undo your entire shopping plan and budget. I never would do it without having the coupon, but I have really focused on just buying the things I really need and not wasting time on scouting out the unadvertised clearance items. :-)

Today is Earth Day, so of course I am trying to restrict my electricity use. I will have to get on the computer later for work, so that is just unavoidable. However, I am in the process of doing laundry - I have successfully avoided using the dryer for more than 15 minutes total so far. I hung out the laundry and then we ran some errands and by the time we got back, it was dry. It is officially summer in the desert - we are into the triple digits. I would love to be able to shut off the a/c today, but it is just not feasible.

We are also going to have a *mostly* organic dinner. I already had pork chops and carrots, but we went to the certified farmer's market and picked up spinach, red leaf lettuce, green beans, a tomato, and a cucumber. It should be a lovely dinner full of veggies.

I also have some sewing to do, but I am going to focus on the hand sewing that I need to get done. I have become a quilter and it amazes me that women were able to hand sew beautiful quilts. It must have taken forever and maybe someday I will make a quilt with that hand-sewing method. I'll have to set that project aside as one without a deadline. ;-)

I would really like to find some time today to clear out the kids' drawers...one of the best ways to be kind to the earth is to reuse your items in some way. In this case, someone else can find a way to reuse the clothes that don't fit my kids anymore. We actually have several other items that can be sold to someone else to treasure. Maybe I will try to list some of those on craig's list today...

Springtime is also a good time to clean. But why use expensive chemical cleaners? Vinegar and water cleaners can do a great job at freshening up your space. If you don't enjoy the vinegar smell, add a couple drops of essential oil (you can find them at crafts or natural foods stores and they last forever). The vinegar smell will dissipate, but the essential oil will last for a while. I use lavender oil for a relaxing scent. Baking soda also makes a great cleaner and deodorizer. There are lots of resources online for making your own cleaners with readily available items. I will try to post some links later today.

I hope you are able to find a way to reduce your impact on the environment today. But I always remind myself on Earth Day each year: it is great to make a special effort on this day, but the best thing you can do is to make it Earth Day EVERYDAY.

--Katie

Crazy schedule...not enough meal planning!

Well, here I sit waiting for DD during dance, DH just found out he is going on a business trip...TOMORROW, and I have to do my meal planning! I have done fairly well at avoiding going out and keeping my refrigerator stocked, but I feel like I am not using it fast enough! And I did break down and took the kids out to eat...more than once.

So here we go with another week of meal planning. Last week was a strange one since the kids had spring break; it gave me a taste of what summer will be like. :-S Not sure if I am looking forward to having more time to cook or if I will be scrambling to find activities!

I got my ads today and Sprouts has some good deals. Their Roma tomatoes are only 49 cents per pound. I think I will try fresh tomatoes, garlic, and basil over pasta. DH does not like this type of tomato sauce, so this will be one to try on the kids. Sprouts also has hamburgers at their meat counter that I have been wanting to try and they are only $3.99 a pound this week. Of course I will pick up some broccoli (49 cents a pound), some baby carrots (99 cents a package), and maybe some potatoes (49 cents a pound). Finally, I may get some chicken drumsticks and thighs for grilling later ($1.49 a pound in a value pack).

This week, I will do the fresh tomato pasta and a salad or broccoli; steak, baked potatoes, and broccoli or salad; hamburgers on the grill with salad and fruit; pork chops with Vons' prepared sides (on sale this week); and poppyseed chicken casserole with carrots and salad.

I did the roasted buttered carrots from Cooking Light and they were a hit. Just put baby carrots or diagonally cut carrots on a cookie sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and a tablespoon of melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake at 425 for 15 minutes! So easy and so yummy.

Hope you have a great week with a well-planned menu...good luck to you!
--Katie

Easter Candy...

Today I was able to leave the kids with DH, so I took the opportunity to get Easter shopping done. I had a general plan, I checked some prices, and I narrowed it down to three stores to get my goodies: World Market, Target, and CVS (had to pick up some prescriptions there, too).

World Market is almost cleared out of the best fstuff! They have great candy...unique and weird candy that is always fun to throw into Easter baskets or stockings at Christmastime. DH loves Abba Zabba (I have no idea why!), and they always have a fresh supply. They also have great Hello Kitty stuff and DD loves Hello Kitty. I am a member of the World Market Explorer program - this is a loyalty program and the benefits include periodic coupons and rewards on food purchases. I always recommend enrolling in loyalty programs and this one is pretty good. I had a 10% off coupon that I was able to print before leaving for the store.

Target has their candy on sale as well. They have Starburst jelly beans on sale for $2 each, then there is a Target coupon for $1 off two bags, and a manufacturer coupon for $1 off two bags. That brings the price down to only $1 each. We needed to stock up on Head and Shoulders and there were buy one get one free coupons in the P&G Saver that came in the newspaper today, so I saved 50% off those, too. I also got some Strawberry Shortcake bandages for only 57 cents with a Target coupon and a manufacturer coupon. The kids are always wanting to put on bandages, so I might as well get them cheap. :-) Just remember to get those Target coupons from their website. They CAN be combined with manufacturer coupons for bigger savings.

Finally, I stopped at CVS. I stopped at the red coupon machine and out spit my quarterly rewards ($9), a $2 off $10 easter purchase, and the reminder that I had a 25% off coupon loaded to my card. I went to the pharmacy and settled that up and then started shopping. Unfortunately, the CVS I chose is incredibly slow at getting their new price tags out; I don't think they had a single tag out. So I grabbed an ad from the front so I could remember which items were included in the extra buck sales. I got 2 M&M bags ($2 ECBs plus a manufacturer coupon), 1 hershey's miniature bag, 1 whoppers robin eggs bag, 1 cadbury mini eggs bag, 1 garnier dark spot corrector ($5 ECB with $15 purchase of garnier and these were marked at $17, but that's wrong; plus $2 manufacturer coupon), 2 revlon mascaras (2 - $2 off coupons and ECB's with $15 purchase, marked at $9.50 each, also wrong), and some new sunglasses for DS. I went to the front, ready for a great trip. However, CVS had a different idea. I tried one credit card and it told her to call. Then we tried another and same thing. For some reason, after using the VERY SAME card in the back, they declined it up front. Who knows. So then I thought (and even said out loud) that at least I was getting ECB's and that would make it all better. FAT CHANCE! April Fool's on me because I had to spend $15 in garnier and that moisturizer was only $14 on sale (!) and the mascaras were ALSO on sale and only totaled $14 (again with a $15 minimum). So I have to figure out if there is anything I need to get to that extra dollar on both. Argh. I was busy loading my items on the counter and didn't watch the little screen to see the prices. :-( I *was* able to save $35 today, though...there is a silver lining I guess.

I hope your experiences today are better than mine ended up! Good luck to you on this April Fool's day...!!!
--Katie

Madison St. Produce

I always drive by the produce stand at Madison Street and 111 and can see the strawberries growing in the field behind the stand. The kids and I always are amazed we can see them from so far away and we know they must be big!

So I finally stopped there to see how the prices were and if there was anything I "needed." I did get some strawberries; I got an overflowing pint for $2.99. I don't mind paying a bit more for local produce that I can see growing. There were no carbon emissions during the transport of the strawberries from field to stand (except the breathing person carrying them there...)!

I also got artichokes at $1 each; not a bad price, but I made sure to pick out the biggest ones I could find. ;-)

They had a couple other items like asparagus and broccoli.

All of it looked good and all of it was VERY local. :-)

Tonight we are hosting the in-laws and having pork chops with squash-rice casserole. This is one of my stand-by recipes, but it is a good one, a cooking light recipe, and one that gets the kids eating zucchini willingly.

I won't be able to post my plan for next week for a bit...for some reason I didn't get the weekly ads today! It is going to throw off my schedule, but oh well. Nothing I can do but check the stores' websites.

Good luck to you!
--Katie