A few days back I wrote a post about immediately throwing your junk mail into the trash so you are not tempted to spend extra money. I had a few readers remind me that you should always removing the mailing label so you are not a victim of identify theft.

Here are some fast facts about junk mail from 41pounds.org

Another thoughtful reader sent me an email with this article from the Bangor Daily News.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all opted out? Think of how much less clutter we would have in our lives, or how much less waste would be in our trash bin every week. I plan on opting out today! Since we pay our bills online, I hope that one day all that will be in my mailbox are coupons!

Filed under: Frugal living, organization | 5 Comments »

I mentioned in a previous post that my husband has finally jumped on the heath train. I am so excited because now I can focus on healthy meals for the whole family and get rid of the junk.

My kids have been doing great on their Eat More Fruits and Veggies Challenge. Almost everyone has been willing to try our new foods. We have had a few big losers, blueberries and nectarines, but everything else has been given a thumbs up or at least a thumbs sideways.

Since I have a Vita-Mix I have been experimenting over the past few days to see how much health I can get into their beloved smoothies. Today I created this smoothie;

This smoothie was a huge hit. They finished it and asked for seconds and thirds. The beet gives it this amazing red color. I will be making it tomorrow and trying to add in even more healthy goodness. The best thing was that they saw me throw all the food in the Vita-Mix and they still tried it. I have to admit, if I was 12 years old and saw my mom putting spinach in my smoothie, you couldn’t have paid me to drink it!

For dinner I made a new dish. I loosely followed a recipe from my Cheap, Fast, Good Cookbook.

I found that measuring didn’t really matter in this recipe, add more if you have a big family, less if you have a small family.

Ingredients

Coat large frying pan with olive oil. Saute onions and garlic. Add chicken, beans and corn. When everything has been heated through add the cooked rice. Serve immediately. This meal was super easy and everyone loved it. We topped it with sour cream, but I think it would also taste great with shredded jack cheese on a tortilla. Although what doesn’t taste great with cheese! I used white rice, but plan on using brown rice the next time I make this recipe.

I have noticed a slight change in the kid’s behavior since we have started our healthy eating. I hope to see more positive results as we reduce our sugar and white flour and increase our fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

For more Friday Show and Tell visit Mary’s blog.

Filed under: Food, Frugal living, Kids, recipes | 8 Comments »

To all my readers who would love to lead a more frugal lifestyle, but are facing opposition from their husbands, I sympathize. I have been there. For over 14 years I begged and pleaded with my husband to turn our finances around and my words fell on deaf ears. I have received emails over the past few months from wives would like their husbands to change in the area of finances and saving money.

I thought it might benefit you all to hear from my husband on this topic, so I have turned this post over to him.

Toni asked me to respond to your email because I’ve been there as the husband who doesn’t want to become frugal. I wanted my stuff and I wanted it right away. This is pretty standard for our society today - it’s just not biblical.

The bible, as presented to me by Howard Dayton and Dave Ramsey, showed me I needed to get out of debt and to serve Toni and my family with financial security.

Without getting too “sermony†let’s take a look at some scripture that jumped right out at me once Dave and Howard opened my eyes:

These verses showed me that I needed to really look hard at my position on money and finances. It took reading Howard Dayton’s Free and Clear: God’s Roadmap to Debt-Free Living and all of Dave Ramsey’s books (yes all of them) before I really got intense about eradicating debt. Financial Peace really spoke to my relationship with Toni and how I could provide her a covering of protection (given to me by God) through eliminating debt and getting a strong emergency fund. Total Money Makeover gave me a simple enough plan to follow. I love Dave Ramsey’s books.

I read The Millionaire Next Door. It showed me how the truly wealthy don’t live anywhere near the way they can afford to live and that they are deliberately frugal. This frugality gives them security and the ability to do what they want when they want – a freedom a debtor can never have.

Honestly, the idea of getting to the point where money doesn’t matter is still a goal for us. God has put us on a path to financial freedom where we can abundantly bless the people and missions he sends to us. It is an awesome thing to be used by God in this way

Ladies, your husbands will probably not change overnight. Toni prayed and cajoled me for 14 years before I changed into someone who cares about debt.

What can you do to shorten your time in this process?

It changed my life when I started to apply the principles from these resources. It can change your husband’s as well.

Feel free to have your husband email me (af at armedforcesadvantage.com) if he’d like to begin a conversation about these things.

My wife is The Happy Housewife. It’s not because of me, our money, our kids, or anything of this earth. She’s happy because she tries to follow the Lord. You and your husband can experience the same joy God has given her in this area if you can both follow God’s word. Trust me, I know because I’ve been there. Better yet trust God because He has too.

The links above lead to Amazon.com. We checked the books out from the library rather than buying them - it’s more frugal.

For more Frugal Friday visit Biblical Womanhood.

Filed under: Frugal living, My life | 7 Comments »

I thought I posted this the other day, but I think it was lost in the site crash.

I came across this site that gives away one homeschool freebie a day. Here is how it works.

Each day one item is totally free. You usually have to give your name and email, but that is it. I am excited about using this source to supplement our homeschooling curriculum this year. Check it out and tell me what you think!

Filed under: Frugal living, Homeschool, freebies | No Comments »

Since I have had site problems over the past week, I feel out of sync with the blog. Usually I have an idea of topics I want to cover for the week, but with all the site issues my mind has been elsewhere.

Grocery Shopping

Tonight I went to the grocery store and saved $26 in coupons. My coupon use had dropped significantly over the past few months because most of items I buy are things that don’t have coupons, whole foods, fresh fruit and veggies, milk, etc. Tonight at the commissary the shelves were loaded with coupons for things that were already on my list. I was able to get free razors, body wash, shampoo, and fruit. It was a good night.

Dishwasher Detergent

A few weeks ago Cascade sent me a sample of their dishwasher detergent to try along with their competitor Electrosol. I happened to be using Palmolive so I was able to compare all three products. I am not a brand name shopper and always purchase the cheapest brand. I thought I was saving money, but I could be wrong.

I have to admit that although I was skeptical at first Cascade blew the other two out of the water. Electrosol came in second, with Palmolive dead last. Now, I didn’t really conduct a scientific experiment, so you might have to do your own research. Basically, when I used Cascade I could put more dishes in the dishwasher and I had less dishes that needed to be rewashed. I also had to remove less food from the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. Since Cascade is usually the most expensive brand, I have to consider several factors to see if it is a better deal.

If I use less water to rinse my dishes before I put them into the dishwasher, can load my dishwasher with more dishes, and have less dishes to rewash after the cycle is done, then I think Cascade is a better buy. But you can bet I will be looking for a coupon!

Dish Soap

I also conducted my own test with Ajax and Palmolive dish soap. I had been buying Ajax because it is so cheap. After a few months of using Ajax I realized that I was using more soap to get things clean. Even though Palmolive costs more, I use less to wash dishes, so they end up costing about the same.

Diapers

Last month I bought a package of Target brand diapers. They were significantly cheaper than any other brand. The problem started when I couldn’t open the tab without ripping it. Then almost every diaper leaked. The ones that didn’t leak fell off because the tabs didn’t stick. I ended up doing laundry after every single night my toddler wore a Target diaper because it leaked onto the sheets. I will definitely not purchase Target brand diapers again.

Web Hosting

I am sure that you have noticed the considerable site problems I have had over the past few weeks. My current hosting provider is Web Hosting Pad. I can’t even remember how much we paid for the hosting but it was about the same as many of their competitors. While they are very nice on the phone, they offer little to no help, can’t deliver the guaranteed 99% uptime, and do a poor job of responding to problems.

Shampoo

Suave Shampoo is current $0.45 a bottle at my commissary. There was coupon a few weeks back for $1/2. I was hesitant at first, because $0.45 is really cheap, but my family loves it! They even use it for a body wash. Check your local commissary to see if it is on sale.

Swim Shirts

UVSkinz, my absolute favorite swim shirt company, is running a July sale, one free swim shirt with every purchase. Their goal is to give away 3000 swim shirts this summer. I am going to order myself a shirt tomorrow. In case you are wondering, I do not make any money from them, I am just passionate about protecting our most valuable treasures from the harmful rays of the sun.

Raw Diet

My husband, who is well on the road to recovery (that is a topic for another post) has decided it is time to jump on the health train. I am excited because for years he has tried to jump in front the health train and derail it! As he attempts to rid his body of all the nastiness he has put in it over the years, his intake of fresh fruits and veggies has skyrocketed. The cool thing is that he has put me in charge of his diet. I would like to get him to about 75% raw foods but that is going to take some work. He is giving up soda, which is a big deal, and is decreasing his caffeine intake significantly. I would love to hear from any of you who eat super healthy, advice is appreciated and welcomed!

I made my kids a smoothie today. It consisted of carrots, bananas, whole orange, whole apple, whole nectarine, whole pear, frozen strawberries, and vanilla yogurt. They loved it. Even my pickiest of picky eaters downed his portion and asked for seconds. Tomorrow I think I will throw in some flax, spinach, and wheat germ. I think they had their entire requirement for fruits and veggies in one meal!

Homeschooling

Calling all homeschoolers, it is time to start planning for the next school year! I know there are some really motivated moms who have already started school, but for the rest of us… take some time each day to plan for the upcoming year. What character traits do you plan on working on this year? What does your schedule look like, daily, weekly, monthly? When are you going to clean and get the housework done? How many days off will you take at Christmas? The time to start thinking about these things is now! Start the school year off right and with a plan!

Completely Random Thoughts to Finish the Post

We had a great time on our trip this weekend. My neighbor had twins on Monday and is already home from the hospital. I saw one of the babies tonight, so tiny and precious. Have you ever been so behind on something that you don’t want to even begin to start up again? I have a few of those areas in my life. I have stopped reading my chronological bible and started reading Isaiah, Proverbs and Luke. I am reading Isaiah because my friend in WV is reading Isaiah, so I like to be prepared when she calls me with a verse. My kids are getting old. I can’t believe I have a child that will be able to drive in less than a year! Today I realized that my four year old can swim, and not just dog paddle. For a child that lives with endless irrational fears, I am shocked that she swims like a fish, has never had a swim lesson in her life and only has access to pools three months out of the year. I need to start exercising again. My energy level has been down and I think it is because I am not exercising.

Filed under: Food, Frugal living, Homemaking, Military, Product Reviews, Uncategorized, freebies | 10 Comments »

Sorry for the site problems over the past few days. I had have numerous problems with my hosting company, Web Hosting Pad. Needless to say I do not recommend them for blog hosting. While they are very nice on the telephone, they just can’t keep the sites from crashing on a regular basis. We just switched servers so hopefully this will solve the problem. 

Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

This might seem like a silly tip, but it will save you time and money. Most people have to walk to the curb to get their mail. On they way back to the house stop at the trashcan or recycle bin and go through your mail. Instead of bringing junk mail and magazines into your home, you can dispose of them immediately. This saves time because you aren’t moving piles of stuff around your house for weeks.

I have also found that this can save money. When I look at catalogs it creates an appetite for more, more clothes, furniture, electronics, toys, kitchen items, etc. Usually I am pretty content with what I am blessed with, but I find that when I look at catalogs I start to think my stuff isn’t so nice. If I do need something from a catalog company I go online and shop for the specific item. Throwing my catalogs into the recycle bin before I read them keeps me from wanting to spend money on things I don’t need.

For more frugal tips visit Mary’s blog.

Filed under: Frugal living, organization | 5 Comments »

Since I am baking today, I thought I would share a few bread tips that I have learned over the past few years.

I would love to hear my readers tips for great looking and tasting bread. It is always nice to learn from each other! You can also post any bread questions you might have and we can try and help one another with our bread making.

For more kitchen tips visit Tammy’s Recipes.

Filed under: Food, Homemaking | 5 Comments »

When we lived on base in West Virginia, housing provided every family with a freezer. I loved having an extra freezer and tried to keep it filled with bargains and freezer meals. Of course when we left WV, our freezer stayed with the house. I wanted to purchase one but didn’t want to spend the money. Earlier this year I found a local farm where you can purchase a whole of half cow for significant savings. The fact that we didn’t have a freezer kept me from pursuing this idea.

On Friday my husband called to tell me that he saw an ad in the classifieds at his work for a free freezer. I was excited about the possibility, only to find out that someone had called before us and they were taking the freezer.

When we returned home from our trip this weekend there was a message on our voice mail letting us know that the freezer was still available. My husband picked it up tonight.
It is older and needs some cleaning, but it works and was totally free!

I am so thankful for this blessing and that I have a spot in my garage for the freezer.
I am thankful that a messy garage and a tight budget kept me from purchasing a freezer.
One of the things I am trying to learn over the past few years is to wait. So often I am tempted to try and solve a problem immediately without waiting for advice or even waiting on a potential blessing.
I can’t wait to get my new freezer cleaned up and stocked with homemade meals and maybe even a cow.

For more Gratituesday visit Laura’s blog. For more Talk about Tuesday visit Lara’s blog.

Filed under: My life, freebies | 6 Comments »

I have finally started the Conquer the Clutter Challenge, I am only two weeks late but am hoping the girls won’t notice.

Since the move, the Tupperware cabinet has been a nightmare.

I cannot find anything that I need to store food, so there is really no point in even having a cabinet. My daughters were sweet enough to organize my cupboard. Once the cabinet was empty some of the kids thought it was playtime, or naptime.

Finally finished!

These boxes and bags of books have been sitting since I returned from the Homeschool Convention in early June.

I didn’t really have anywhere to put them until I cleaned out last years’ books. It was such a big job I didn’t really want to do it, but I was sick of seeing the schoolbooks on the dining room floor. I was able to clean out everyone’s cubby and binder from the school year.

(This box is from April, when I started sorting but never finished.)

Beginning the project!

I sorted all their papers and only saved the tests and a few writing assignments. Each child has one folder with their work from the 2007-2008 school year.

No more boxes and bags of books!

It felt so good to throw things away. Normally at the end of the school year I put everything into a few totes and stack them in the garage. I have decided that I don’t need to save everything. With six kids I would need to build an addition to continue with this bad habit.

I had the kids help me with this project but some of them were a little to attached to every single paper they had touched last year. One of my sons asked me why I would throw away such great work, lol! The school cubbies were a major source of stress and I am glad that they are finally finished.

Now I can really start to plan for the coming year. Later this week I will print out my proposed curriculum and order anything else that I need for the year.
We have 10 days until our next visitors arrive. My next tackles will be the garage and to finish painting the downstairs. I think I will keep the color a surprise.

For more great tackles visit 5MFM.

Filed under: Homemaking, Homeschool, Kids, organization | 4 Comments »