No-Spend January Results

Nope, I haven't forgotten about you and YES, we did finish our No-Spend January plan.  While I am currently hidden behind slowly filling moving boxes this morning, let me catch you up with how it went!

By not eating out but four times (our Sunday tradition) and using gift cards two of those times and aiming for under $10 the other two times (yes it can be done!) we saved $375.

• Lesson learned- Find less expensive places to eat!  We had just as much fun with Little Caesars pizzas and Sam's Club hot dogs.  It should be about the people, not the food!  
• Challenge- Lower the entertainment budget! Because we seldom eat out, and because there will be just four of us soon, we need to reconsider our entertainment budget and put that money to better use somewhere else!

By not buying clothes and by cutting the boys hair ourselves, we saved $65.00.

• Lesson Learned- While this is not a significant dent in our budget, every little bit helps.
• Challenge- I am trying to be purposeful this year about the buying of new clothes.  Currently we ALL have ALL we need.  But I am going to try to buy second hand (LOVE Thread Up and Poshmark!) for the rest of the year and see what happens!  I am also currently considering starting the Project 333 plan in a few weeks, so I will keep you posted on that.  Simplifying is calling my name, ya'll!  I love the challenge and I love making life easy.  I just want to love God and love people and stop being consumed by things that don't matter.

Household items were a bit trickier due to the move, BUT anything we bought was move related, not just random.  (Target, anyone!??)  We saved about $45 here.

• Lesson Learned- DO NOT try to move in the same month you embark on no-spend January.
• Challenge- Use up things before you buy more.  I know that stocking up is the rage, and sometimes it is a great way to save when you buy bulk, but let's face it- candles do not count!  I am on a mission to USE UP one thing before I grab another- no duplicates allowed.  Also, no buying of THINGS!  We have enough things.  My house does not need more.  As a matter of fact, some of those things are on their way out! I want to surround my family with just the things we love!

We came in at $100 under in our grocery budget as well.  While this was not in my original plan for saving, I did try to be very intentional with meal planning and buying on sale.  I assume our budget will go down after our move as well with two less people eating with us daily.

• Lesson Learned- Meal planning is key!  Not only will it save your sanity, but it will save you money.
• Challenge- Take advantage of freezer meals.  Three times now I have taken a freezer prep meal class called Citrus Pear to prepare 20 freezer meals.  It has been amazing and they do most of the prep work and ALL of the clean up for you.  But I know I can do it cheaper on my own and may even be able to talk my husband into helping.  We will see.  MyFreezEasy is a great place to start- the system Erin has is so simple and the software is super user friendly (no affiliate, just love her stuff!).

I can only speak for myself but I saved $150 in personal spending by not buying random things.  I did break the rules once by buying a few things for my girls' new apartment, but hey, that's what moms do, right?  Clarke and I both have an "allowance" that is for when random things come up.  Quick stop here, a little fee here, etc.  This money usually flies out the door faster than anything else, honestly.  It's a catch all.

• Lesson Learned- Watch out for the catch all! After not using this money, I can't honestly tell you what I normally use it on!  Sad, but true.
• Challenge- Use cash only for this category.  When you see the cash slowly disappear, you are more mindful on what you use it for!  Nickel-and-diming yourself to death is a real thing!

$735 total savings!  Wow.  I was taken back honestly.  That's a lot of money to save in one month.  For those of you who are paying off debt, that could be a significant payment to a credit card.  For those who long for a much needed vacation, that would be a great start!  For those who just need to live on less, I hope that is proof that you can cut your current budget with a little forethought and lots of determination.

Determination.  That is really all it takes.  It might be saying no to some things.  It might staying off Amazon and out of stores.  It might be shopping sales flyers and planning meals.  It might be reevaluating your budget.

Whatever it takes, you can do it.

Ask me how I know!

Blessings!

No Spend January Confessions

Yep, it is only the 13th of the month and already I have confessions to make.

Let's start at the beginning.  January 1st, our family began a self imposed (read, MOM imposed) no spend January.  This was to include no clothing, entertainment and house hold items, with the exception of 4 Sunday after church meals, using gift cards for two meals and spending under $10 per outing for the other two meals. (You can read the full No-Spend January post!) I convinced them, sort of, that it would be a good way to save some extra money, maybe get to bless someone else at the end of the month, and be a good way to practice patience and self control.  Not to mention, we do not NEED anything.  Seriously!

So confession number one-
It was a bad idea on my part to try this the month we are trying to sell a house!  At the very least, it makes it more challenging.

Which leads to confession number two-
We had a last minute showing the first day on the market and had to head out of the house at lunch time.  Yes, I bought lunch out.  As cheaply as possible, but spent money none the less.  Because I was ill prepared gathering the dog, straightening the house, and getting one child off to work on time led to a crunch. I thought things our better the following day and we had a picnic lunch at the park- a story for another day.

Confession number three-
Our first lunch out cost about $10.38ish.  (I cannot find the receipt to save my life!)  But hey, I was pretty proud of ourselves- 5 people ate for just about $10.  Today our lunch costs us a little over $15, so about $5 over.  We probably could have changed a few lunch choices and hit our mark, but overall it could have been a lot worse considering what it usually cost to feed 5 of us.

Confession number four-
My family is not overly excited about my whole plan, and with an anticipated February move, I doubt our experiment will last past this month.  Move time is stressful and I do not want to make things worse.

It's certainly not over- so I will keep you updated. And wow, there are some big things on the horizon around here- can't wait to share!

Blessings

Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Junior Book giveaway!

Yep, it's the B word again!  B-U-D-G-E-T

This time though you can relax, because this lesson is for your kids!

We have read several Dave Ramsey books in our married life and I am getting ready to facilitate his highschool and college program for our teens in my local co op.  Good stuff!  Recently I had the opportunity to buy several of those resources at a sale price, including Financial Peace Junior, which I intend to teach my 7 year old in the spring.  Check out the special pricing for it now, as well!

Unfortunately the boy is one step ahead of me.  Included in the package I received were 6 CDs entitled Junior's Adventure.  Show my boy a CD and he considers it his.  So immediately he went to his room with them in tow and has been listening to them since.  Over and over again.  And over!  He loves them!

Here's what the web site says about them-

Your children can join Junior in his life adventures! Transform their futures with these colorful and entertaining books by teaching them how to handle money now.

From working and saving to giving and spending, these wonderful stories will teach real life ‘stuff,’ and the stories are so fun your children won’t even know they’re learning!

Each book is illustrated by award-winning cartoonist Marshall Ramsey.

Recommended for kids ages 3–10.

We love them so much that I am giving away a Junior's Adventures Boxed Set to be shipped to you just in time for Christmas!  I know your children will enjoy reading these cute stories while you get in a lesson or two about money management.  It is never too late to learn!

For your chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blessings, Michele

*I was not compensated in any way for this post.  The thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Fun Fridays- Saving Money in the Kitchen

Welcome to the first week of

Saving Money in the Kitchen.

  I am so excited to get started on this series.  It has been brewing in my mind for a while now, but several of your questions and emails prompted me to get it out of my head and onto the paper.  Thank you!

Yes, my monthly budget for groceries really is between $400-$450 for our family of six.  I aim for $400, but depending on what our month looks like- company, parties, holidays etc. - it can be a little more.

I will try to take each week to concentrate on a different aspect of how I save money in this particular area of our budget.  None of this is rocket science.  Most of it is probably not even new to you.  But sometimes we just need a reminder or a gentle nudge to get started.

Consider this your NUDGE!

Here we go!

Let's start with meat, as that is often one of the most expensive items in your cart at any given time.   I do get most of my meat from the commissary, but you can use these same ideas anywhere.  Let me preface this by saying, this is not organic meat.  I know, I know.  Trust me, it concerns me too, but that is one place I just have not changed over yet.  It is our goal after our summer move to buy local organic meat in bulk, but that is simply not where we are at right now.  Hopefully soon.  Until then...

Buy whole chickens in large quantities whenever you find them on sale.  Be on the lookout for .99 and even .79 sales!    Stick it in the crockpot with some water, onions and spices and you are on your way.  After it is cooked and de-boned I freeze Mr. Chicken into 2 cup portions to be used later.  Think soups, casseroles, burritos, enchiladas, and chicken salad.  Depending on the size of your chicken you can usually get 3-5 meals out of one chicken.  If said chicken cost you $5-$6 you have stretched your money by a ton.  $1.50 per serving is a bargain!  Don't forget to freeze the broth as well.  I have not bought cans of chicken broth in forever!!!

Split your chicken breasts in half!  Usually the breasts you buy are NOT a standard healthy portion. Trust me on this one.  In a world of super sizing we kid ourselves in what a portion really is. Get out a kitchen scale if you don't believe me.  By slicing the breasts in half we double what we have and are eating healthier.

Buy large cuts of meat when they are sale.  Turkeys are cheaper at Thanksgiving.  Hams are cheaper at Easter.  Buy several to stock up!  Once cooked they can be used for multiple meals.  Case in point...I got our Eater Ham for $14.00 on sale.  We ate ham for three meals, froze one 2 cup portion and two 1 cup portions of diced ham for homemade pizzas or casseroles, and three packages of ham slices to use later. That is nine meals... at a fraction of the cost!

 

Let's chat ground beef for a second.  We do not eat a lot of red meat, but we do like a good hamburger occasionally, tacos and meatballs even.  But ground beef is expensive.  Ground turkey, not so much.  So for about half our meals that call for ground beef, I substitute ground turkey. Sometime I will use half and half.  Easy!

Go meatless once a week!  Here is one that I do not do as well as others because I have picky eaters who do not care for beans.   (except CJ, of course!)  But, by buying beans in bulk rather than cans and cooking them yourself you WILL save!  Another way to do this is to cook soups.  There are plenty of recipes out there for meatless soups that when paired with rolls or some homemade bread make a hearty meal.

Eat breakfast for dinner once a week.  I started this at our house because the kids thought it was fun.  Since then, I have realized it is also cheaper.  From everyday staples like waffles or pancakes to french toast and even breakfast casseroles, you can save money with breakfast food.

Buy pork chops.  I realize pork is an off limit food for some, but if it is for you consider buying it more often.  Pork chops are less expensive than chicken and I think sometimes we just forget they are an option.

OK, I know this one is not meat, but I am going to slip it in since I have mentioned bulk buying...

Buy side dishes in bulk.  We do this in our house primarily with potatoes.  A 10 pound bag is cheap when on sale.  When we were growing them ourselves, it was even cheaper...and made me oh so happy!  (You can grow potatoes in large buckets, bales of straw and even large trash cans.  Do not let space alone be your excuse for not growing them.  It is easy and your kids will love it!) We can get a lot of side dishes out of one 10 pound bag of potatoes!  Homemade french fries, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, hash browns!   I figured out the savings once of that one bag of potatoes compared to what it would have cost me to buy bags of the frozen equivalents and the difference was about $14.00.  Never mind the health benefits.  We also buy brown rice on bulk!

So there you have it.  Told you it wasn't rocket science.  And no coupon cutting was even involved. This month we spent right at $100.00 on meat.

Come back next week and I will break down the $400.00 even more for you and focus on the dreaded snack foods!

Questions?  Ask away!  More money saving ideas?  Please share!

Until then, Happy Shopping!



Linking up with Caroline at The Modest Mom today!

It's Budget Time!

To get ready to kick off a new Fun Friday series on Saving Money in the Kitchen, I thought I would start with a little background on our budget.  I have mentioned it before, but wanted to break it down a little more for you. Please keep in mind, I am no expert at this.  We have read a lot of books, taken a few classes, read some more and been encouraged by several friends.  (Check out Dave Ramsey and Crowne Financial for a starting point.)  The following is a mixture of all and is what works for us.  I encourage you to do your research, pray about what God would have your family do and take the plunge if you have not done so already.  Budgeting has blessed us and allowed us in return to bless others...I only wish we had started at the beginning of our marriage.

I keep a little notebook with all of our categories written in it. (There are 18.) Each one then has the amount written at the top of the page with how much money goes into that category each month.  Each time we spend in that particular area, I enter the date, what we spent and the remaining amount available.  Similar to the envelope system many use, but on paper instead.  Yes, you can use any computer program to track, but I am a paper kind of gal!  The exceptions are: Allowances (ours and the kids), clothing and entertainment.  For these particular categories we do withdraw money and put in envelopes.  I have found it is just easier to keep up with.  Of course, any money left over in a category gets pushed into the next month's balance.

Groceries	$400.00
4/1 Kroger	176.95                                                 $223.05
4/1 Commissary	102.39                                                 $120.66

Our other categories include:
Groceries
Gas
Home Maintenance
Vacation
Savings
Dry Cleaning
Gifts
Car License/Tags
Car Maintenance
Homeschooling
Utilities
Haircuts
Pets
Rent
Lessons (piano, dance)
Tithe
Insurance
Phones

Each category has a set amount of money assigned to it that does not change from month to month.  Therefore if you do not have an expenditure that month your money will begin to add up in that category.  So when your car needs new tires, a ha, you have enough money sitting there waiting. 

Things like car problems or house maintenance problems are no longer panic moments for us because we set aside money each month for those things.  Vacations are easier to plan when we know how much we are able to spend before we ever go.  When it comes time to buy new curriculum for our year, the money is waiting.  You get the idea.

How did we decide actual dollar amounts?  Some were easier than others.  Take car maintenance for example.  We have two cars and are still currently upkeeping the car our oldest daughter is driving.  We figured out how many oil changes etc. each would need in a year, added it all up and then divided by 12.  There is the amount you should put away each month.  Do it for every category and you are ready to go! 

Honestly, the hardest category for me was the gifts one.  It forced me to write down every person I buy for and every occasion and assign a dollar amount to them all.  It was an eye opening experience for me and really made us reevaluate some areas.  It also now forces us to be super diligent about spending.  When figuring this one up, you can't forget little things like Easter, Valentine's Day, weddings, baby showers and on and on!  Let me forewarn you friends, this can be a major budget breaker!

One lesson we learned quickly, as your categories start to build up you have the tendency to accumulate a lot of money in your checking account.  As you accumulate more money you are more likely to spend it.  You know, "Hey, look what my bottom line says! I have lots of money left to spend!"  To avoid that temptation, categories that are not necessarily monthly occurrences for us, like maintenance categories and gifts, are transferred automatically to a separate account.  Then when we spend from those I just transfer the money back over to our primary checking.  Again, works for us.

Yes, my husband and I get allowances right along with the kids.  You didn't think I would breeze past that one, did you?  It is basically slush money to spend on whatever comes up that often does not fit perfectly into a category.  Snack at work, treat for the kids, whatever.  Or how about the going away gift at work you had not planned for, or sport pictures you forgot about.  Or the extra fun activities your child gets invited to and you want to help pay for them.  This is the money that tends to get eaten up the quickest at our house.

And that brings me to what started this whole post in the first place- the Grocery Budget.  How sad is it that one of our biggest categories is Groceries?!  I mean, really, that makes me crazy!  Some day I hope to grow most of our own food, but until this military moving family settles down, we are stuck paying others for our food.  It stinks, but one has got to eat.  In an effort to cut that category down as much as possible, I have worked hard!  And THAT is what I want to share with you this month for our Fun Fridays series!

I hope you will join us!  See 'ya on Friday!

No Spend February Results, Thoughts and Confessions

It is March?  How did it get to be March?  I think each month goes by quicker and quicker.  My husband thinks the last two months have gone by slowly, and he blames my no spend madness.  I had even entertained the idea of a no spend March entitled Mad March, but my 15 year old threatened to change the name at the last second before the posting and call it Mad at Mom March, so I let it go.  She is, remember, my IT girl and would do it!  But, I digress...

When we started on this journey in January it was multiple reasons.  To save money, to rethink our budget, to get a grip on our spending and to not add to the life we were in the process of decluttering.  Let's face it, it is pointless to get rid of stuff, if you're only going to replace it with new stuff.  That, as someone said to me recently, is the challenge.  January was fairly easy.  February was a little harder.

So let's look at how we did.  Be nice please.  And forgiving! ;)

~We had 5 ice cream cones at McDonald's.  Can't remember exactly how much it was, but let's say just under $5.00.  Here's my excuse- our rental house was put on the market, and one Sunday we had about a hour and a half heads up it was being shown.  Yes, we loaded kids and dogs in car and since it was too cold to go to the park we treated the kids to ice cream.  I figured it was a cheaper than wandering aimlessly around in WalMart!  Especially with the mood I was currently in.  'nuff said!

~We also ate yogurt at Sweet Frog for Valentine's Day, but in my defense we used the money the kids had gotten in cards from their Grandmother.  It was perfect timing since dad was out of town!  Thanks Mom!

~We went to Sweet Frog again! (do you have one of these places???  oh my goodness- yummy!)  Our excuse this time (do you notice a lot of excuses this month?) Our 15 year old got her braces off after two years and daddy wanted to celebrate with her.  He's the hero!

~While last month we only spent money paying bills, buying gas and buying groceries, this month we did extend our spending to a few other categories such as haircuts, clothes (hey, one of the boys needed underwear- trust me on this one!), and home maintenance.  As I stated before, these are a few of the categories we put money towards each month, not just random spending. 

~We did not use any entertainment money, save the ice cream, and did not get our monthly "free" spending money, save some money that my hubby took out to treat our college daughter to dinner when he visited her.  As a matter of fact, his entire flight and hotel were "free" thanks to built up mileage and old credit card points.  Oh, except for that darn $20.00 baggage fee.

All in all, still a lot less money going out and for sure a lot more thought went into the spending that did take place. 

What did we learn? 
People who vow not to buy anything for a year are amazing.  Or liars ;)  Things run out, wear down or are just plain needed sometimes.  What about stamps?  Batteries?  New underwear?  Just saying...

We take the ability to buy things we want for granted.  And that is sad.  Just because we have the money does not mean we have to spend it.  I tell my kids that all of the time.  Now why do I not listen to my own advice?

We are an instant gratification society.  I do not want to be an instant gratification family!

Sometimes learning to wait is a great life lesson, even for grown ups.

We will not die from not eating out!  As a matter of fact, we will probably be a lot healthier by not eating out!

A side note on eating out...
     Wanna know who missed eating out the most?  The 5 year old.  Day after day he asked, "Can we eat out today?"  Folks, it is not like we eat out a lot.  Maybe 1 time a month for dinner and 2-3 times a month for lunch.  Seriously!  But that became THE question of the day.  Drove. Me. Crazy!
It seems that eating out no longer had become a treat, but an expectation.

What do you mean we are not eating out.  I deserve this.

 

Friends, we deserve nothing!  We are owed nothing.

 

The reality is that all we deserve we are free from because Christ died on the cross for our sins.

 

Going out is great.  And a fun treat. But I desperately want my family to see it as that- a special treat.  One that lights their eyes up and makes them think, wow, there must be something special about today.  Not just, this is what we do.  Let's face it, there are millions of people that do not have the luxury of eating out...let's not allow ourselves to take that privilege for granted.

 

OK, stepping off soapbox now! ;)

 

Continuing on- I am thankful for these past two months.  I am grateful for a family that allows me to shake up their lives occasionally with my grand ideas and then patient enough to flesh out those ideas.  I am thankful that God uses those crazy ideas of mine to teach us a few lessons- some of which I pray we never forget!

 

Blessings to you all,
 



Linked up today with Caroline, at the Modest Mom!

Once a Month Shopping and Two Week Challenge

Last month I posted about Once a Month Shopping, so I wanted to give you an update for the month of May.  As I suspected, my total for the month was down...yea!  Once you have stocked your pantry then you just fill in when needed, waiting until sales if you can.  Again, I would be happy to share my master list, just shoot me an email.

First of the month-Commissary- $146.59 (this was mostly meat, but I also picked up cereal, butter and a few other staples I saw on sale)
                               Kroger-$109.84 (this included staple items on my list we keep stocked, plus fruits and veggies for the first two weeks)

Mid month small shop- $44.81 (this included eggs, milk and fruits and veggies only)

Total- $301.24  WOW  For a family of six, I am VERY happy with this month!  Once our garden comes in I hope to be spending even less on veggies!

We will be doing the same for June, with one minor change...A TWO WEEK FREEZER-PANTRY CHALLENGE!

Here's the plan...

My first two weeks of our June menu are planned around what I have in the pantry or freezer.  It's time to defrost the freezer and the money saved will be extra spending money for a fun mini vacation we have planned in July with friends!  (dual-tasking at its best!)

See the need for defrosting?!

For me, this will mean buying only the staples from my master list that we are out of, and some fresh fruits and veggies for our first of the month shop.  NO MEAT!  Gonna use what we have.

Basic Menu includes things like spaghetti, Ham and potato frittata, chicken, broccoli and rice casserole (doubled to freeze 1),  barbecued chicken, salmon cakes and Mexican casserole to name a few.  Don't think the family will even notice we are using up the stockpile.  (Except the salmon cakes which I am pretty sure they will turn their noses up at!)

I would love for you to join me in this two week challenge...you still have a few days to plan before the first of the month shopping.  Tweak the plan to what works for your family.  Your goals are to:

1- Save money!
2- Use as much as you can from your freezer and pantry.  Go on- be brave and peek at what's in there.  You might be surprised at what you find- like salmon!  Then get creative and share with us your plan. 

We would love to encourage you this month so take a minute and let us know what you will be doing!

The B Word!

The B word...budget...or how I cut our grocery bill in half!

Budget...not a nice word in many a vocabulary, but oh, so needed!  I want to teach my children to live within their means, possibly even below their means, and be good stewards of their money.  To do that we ourselves must be faithful!

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little cwill also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"  Luke 16:10-11(NIV)

We use to spend a lot of money at the grocery store.  I mean, A LOT!  Like that was one of our biggest expenditures.  And yet we never seemed to have any groceries in the house.  The "there's nothing in this house to eat" kind of nothing to eat.  Drove me crazy!

Fast forward three years...

Our pantry, fridge and freezer are full, there are no more echos of there is nothing to eat and we are spending about $400.00 a month for a family of six, toiletries included.

I am not an expert at this, nor do I spend hours a week concentrating on this area of life.  Not my hobby, just a necessity of life.  So while there are plenty of useful guides out there, here's how I did it:

1- Coupons!  Seemed like a waste of time to me, but it does work.  I would not qualify for that silly show on TV, nor would I want to, but I have been stopped several times on my way out of a store by people wanting to know how I just bought that many groceries for that low of a price.  It's a cool thing.  At first it was a personal challenge to see what percentage I could save, then it became a silly family game with even CP asking each week if we had beat our savings record.  I know, we are silly like that...easily entertained.  See the things that will entertain you when you get rid of cable?  haha

Anyway, you can cut all the coupons out at once, use what you need and send the extra ones to an overseas military base, or keep all the flyers and cut out what you need as you go.  NOTE-  Don't use a coupon just because you have it.  If it is something you use or really want to try, then buy it.  Otherwise don't buy it to just to buy it with a coupon... a waste of money.

2-  Look for sales and then use coupons on top of those sale items.  Some of my friends are awesome at identifying these on their own...not me.  I cheat.  I started getting my cheat sheets at Thegrocerygame.com, free trail.  I now pay a small fee each month for their lists (I love how organized their lists are), but there are also tons of gals out there who do it for free and are just as helpful.  A few I use are Thefrugalfind, Streachingabuck and moneysavingmom.  They will also save you lots of money on tons of other items- you will not be sorry if you subscribe to their sites.

3- Use the grocery store customer cards!  Ya know, those free little ditties you hang on your key chain.  One of my latest trips to Kroger started with a total of about $140.00 and once they scanned that little card the total was about $70.00- and that was before coupons.  So if the gal behind me bought the same things and did not use a magic card for whatever reason she would have paid double.  Crazy!

4- Another site I love...$5 Dinners.  Erin is awesome.  She has lots of money saving ideas, but what I love is that her recipes are geared for the budget minded mom or dad.  Let's face it, if a recipe calls for a million expensive ingredients you just broke your budget on one meal.  I have both of her current cookbooks and love them.  (she does giveaways..I won them both!)  Check her out...again, you won't be sorry.

5- Learn how to get free stuff, especially at drugstores and on double coupon days at your local grocery store.  A lot of my stockpile comes from these free items...haven't paid for toothpaste in forever!  Dish soap, air fresheners and salad dressings are also often free.

6-  And that brings us to stockpiling.  Forget that silly show for a minute and stay with me.  NO one needs 100 tubes or cans of ANYTHING!  That is just crazy!  But, sales do tend to run in 6 week cycles so when things (and here's the key phrase) that you use are on sale, buy enough to last your family about 6 weeks.  That way you never pay full price again.  You can "shop" from your pantry when you need ketchup or you can run to the store and pay full price at the 9th hour.  You choose.

7- Shop for a week at a time, or two if you are brave.  The more you go to the store the more money you spend.  Menu planning works for that reason,  Nuff said.

8-  Use cloth napkins and towels in the kitchen.  We started this for fun, not really to save the planet, but hey, every little bit helps.  For larger families, those things are big ticket items!

Two final notes...since we started this journey we have gone to a less processed food lifestyle.  Because of that, I do not use as many coupons I use to, but you can still find them for milk, eggs and other organic products.  They are out there, promise.  Because we grind our own wheat and make much from scratch these days, there are less canned goods to buy.  That money saved goes towards buying bulk grains and fresh produce.  In season veggies and fruits can be found cheap.  I have found a $3.00 bag of potatoes makes a lot more side dishes, and more diversified, than boxes of scalloped potatoes, no matter how cheap I could get them for.  Just works for us.  I tease my family that my goal is to have a bar code free pantry!  ;)

Also, we eat out a lot less these days.  That will eat up a budget faster than you can say eat out!  Seriously.  Our goal, and mind you this is just a goal, is to eat out 2 lunches a month, usually after church, and one dinner.  A family of 6 in a restaurant = big bucks!  Because I do menu plan, we do have less panic moments of what can we eat which helps a lot.

OK, so ask away...what questions do you have, what can I help you with and what do you do that works for your family?  We may have to have a part 2 to this post gals!  There's a lot more we could cover!