Menu Plan - January 2nd - 8th

This picture doesn't have anything to do with menu planning but I thought it was sweet of me and my baby. And yes, that is my favorite shirt...I wear it all the time, living on less, remember?

Second week of $75/week budget

- Well last week went so well with spending no money (except that stint at Mcd's), I think I will do it 1 more time to get us deep in the black and start the new year off right.
This week I will be relying on leftovers….still (heard of the roast beef that wouldn’t die?) and meats that I have stocked up on in the past when the price was right.

DINNERS
Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters w/BBQ sauce & veggies (such a deal at less than $1.50 for my chicken)
Turkey Spaghetti w/fresh garden salad (fresh from my garden!)
Chicken & Dumplings (The other $1.50 of those leg quarters and homemade dumplins!)
Shrimp fettuccini or red sauce which ever I have on hand
Beans & rice w/a little leftover ham (see below)
Mexican Beef n rice casserole (this is that roast beef again)
Left over ham sandwiches from our New Years ham – from Logan Farms w/$50 gift card from Billy’s work (yep The Lord will provide!)

Breakfast
Yogurt w/fruit
Eggs & cheese w/toast
Oatmeal w/ pure cane syrup
Cinnamon & sugar nuggets w/ syrup
Cereal
Blender batter waffles made with whole grains (literally…they have not been ground)

Lunch
Tuna sandwiches
ramen noodles
Pb & J, fruit & yogurt
Mac N Cheese w/hotdogs wienies
smoothies
Spagettio’s
frozen pizza (I know soooo bad)
Well, this is going on my second week and I am super excited. This has allowed for us to use our money elsewhere.

All of these items I have in my storage/leftover except I will need the following:
- milk (whole milk) - 3 gallons - $4.50/gallon - $13.50
- creamer (coffee is my major weakness) - 2 quarts - $2.70/quart - $5.40
-cheese – three 8-ounce bags of shredded cheese about $6

$24.90 + tax

Coconut Oil, Baking Soda & Vinegar

This photo was taken from www.mountainroseherbs.com. This is the website where we order all of our coconut oil, our glass bottles for extract and many of our bulk herbs. Go there and get you some coconut oil!

These are three of the most necessary items to have in your home. These three things clean, condition, can clear up a baby's bottom & can unstop drains...how is that for bang for your buck??

Baking Soda
Not only is this fine white powder a deodorizer and teeth whitener, when powered with vinegar it cleans & unclogs drains.
• In fact if you put ½ cup of baking soda (mixed with a splash of water) down your drain and follow with ½ cup of vinegar, it will keep your drains nice and clear.
• If you have a little nephew that comes over and draws pretty pictures with permanent marker all over your wood, then couple baking soda with toothpaste, scrub on, wash off and stare with amazement. But don’t get too excited and clean the whole play kitchen ( I hyper focused just a touch here)


Vinegar
• One of the most natural cleansers for your kitchen and bathroom is straight vinegar with water. I added about 5 drops of cinnamon essential oil to cut the smell. (Essential oils are also something to keep on hand, but more about those later).
• This can also be used in a Downy ball as the fabric softener….your clothes will not smell like vinegar, they smell fresh.
• This can also be used as a rinse for your hair. Come on all you long haired ladies, give it a try. It cleans SO well and make your hair soft, shiny, and smooth….well I have curly hair so lets just say it made it smoothER.
• As stated above, when used with baking soda it keeps those drains clean.
• Use it in the dishwasher as the rinse aid….so great!


Coconut Oil - purchase from http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/
• This is by far my favorite kitchen staple! It is know for building immunity as well as weight loss! I cook my eggs in it, I fry my chicken in it, I fry pancake mix in it and add powder sugar, I add it to my melting white chocolate pieces when making baked goodies….it is just that something extra!
• This is also GREAT for conditioning hair. If our hair is a tad fuzzy I just rub a little (key word, little) but through the ends and voila!
• This is also so great for BABY BUTT RASH!! Seriously with an investment like we have of cloth diapers, you CANNOT use products like desitin or other store brand rash cream. It repels water and stays on the diaper. But whether or not you use cloth diapers, coconut oil will clear up that baby’s rash in a hurry. I lather it on Wyatt everytime he gets a little rash and it has cleared up by morning.
Not only are these all natural ingredients, they are cheaper than commercial chemicals AND they are better for your family! (and better for your wallet….did I mention that already?)

XOXO

Ashley

Turkey Stew

I am excited to report that my first 3 days of my new goal have gone exceptionally well. (except we did spend $17 today on McDonald's chicken nuggets and a newspaper)(we stayed in town too long and the kids were starving and we ALL know that hungry kids make stressed out parents!)

1. I cooked the BBQ sanwiches and it was edible. Note to self: next time you are turning any beef into pulled beef (beef falling apart in BBQ sauce) start the crockpot in the morning when you make breakfast. My sandwiches were like sliced beef bbq...not my style.

2. The Turkey Stew was surprisingly FANTASTIC! What I did was put the turkey bones with meat intentionally left on (you dont have to carve it so closely to get all the meat off) into a crockpot Saturday night. Sunday morning very early (too early if you ask me) I was awoken by a delicious smell in my house....it was the turkey simmering in water and spices. I added the leftover roasted potatoes and half a bag of frozen (gasp) mixed veggies. *remember I am on a budget now and that means I HAVE to use those bags of frozen stuff/or canned stuff that has been hiding out waiting for its expiration date to be tossed into the trash.

I walked in the door from church with an optimistic attitude and the stuff was GREAT! We put a roasted red potato in each bowl, mashed it, covered it with the veggies & turkey and added some of the broth. It was really good. So there was a free meal from leftover Christmas turkey.

***I forgot to mention that Billy did pull the turkey out of the crock, deboned it, and put the edible meat back in all before I got out of bed this morn. He know I hate that part.....awe.....

2 poor man meals down, 5 more to go!!

Menu Plan - December 26th to January 1st

Well, I am gearing up for my Live on Less challenge this coming year! I am so excited, I hope I will be this excited in 4 more weeks!

Since I have company (which I love play hostess!) I need to be sure that my meals are feeding 7-12 people each night. I also am coming off of spending hundreds of dollars for Christmas dinner and gifts (which I am purposing not to do this next year! In part by planning ahead.) SO....I am going to reuse a lot of leftover meats and make them into totally different meals.

Here is my plan:

First week of $75 budget
- Actually use $25 for this weeks budget
- $50 for the next week

7 Dinners
Turkey stew – turkey, pasta, veggies (leftover turkey &veggies/pasta is in the freezer)
Gumbo – Chicken & sausage (all leftover)
BBQ beef – (leftover brisket)
Roast w/rice & gravy – gravy packet (roast is in freezer, I bought it on sale)
Spaghetti w/fresh garden salad (ground beef I bought on sale - in freezer)
Beans & rice (in the cupboard - always a low price go to! Keep bacon fat/lefovers to flavor)
Beef & cheese quesadillas (use part of that leftover brisket for these)

Breakfast
Leftover quiche & fruit
Yogurt w/fruit (I make my own yogurt to save a TON of money and it is whole fat)
Eggs & cheese w/toast
Oatmeal w/cane syrup
Cinnamon & sugar nuggets w/ syrup
Cereal

Lunch
Tuna sandwiches
ramen noodles
Pb & J fruit & yogurt
Mac N Cheese w/hotdogs wienies
smoothies
Italian chicken w/corn
Hot dogs w/buns & fruit

All of these items I have in my storage except I will need the following:
- milk (whole milk) - 3 gallons - $4.50/gallon - $13.50
- creamer (coffee is my major weakness) - 2 quarts - $2.70/quart - $5.40

$18.90 + tax

I may need to pick up the 3 packs of ramen noodles as well (my kids LOVE these stinkin things!)

This menu will use lots of leftovers (not wasting food is key when trying to keep a low budget) and it will provide larger 1 pot meals for feeding big groups.

Now lets just see if I can get out of that store without spending a ton of money! haha!

UPDATE: I did make it out of the store without buying ANYTHING extra!! YEAH!!

MY secret: I sent Billy to the store...hahaha

Living on less!

This is my New Year’s Resolution….to live on less.

Live on less money, live on less STUFF, live with less commitments, live with less stress.
I think it is sad that I have failed at properly budgeting our money. I am inconsistent with my spending in every category. In groceries I fluctuate by well over $100-$200 each month. In clothes, I spend large amounts ($600-$1000) twice a year. Now, if I would set the monthly budget aside to make those bulk clothing purchases it would not be such a big deal but I don’t.
Needless to say, consistency is not my strength.

My plan to live on less is as follows….(no gasping allowed)

Spend $75 a week for all grocery items
• Clip coupons
• Plan budget conscience menus
• Limit snack foods
• Focus on whole food & meatless meal diet
• BE ACCOUNTABLE
Spend $5 per week/per child for clothing - $25/week total (this one scares me!)
• Sew as many clothes with repurposed materials as possible
• Buy used clothing
• Save clothing for younger siblings
Grow 75% of all produce this year

Plant 5-10 more fruit trees to increase fruit harvest in coming years

Spend no more than $75 per child per birthday (party & gift)

I am committing to bring $100/month into our family budget through talents I have.

I am so excited and optimistic about this plan. I have had these ideas and desires floating in my head for a couple of years at least but I never made a plan. I am so nervous and so excited at the same time. Of course while I want to sew everything the kids wear, I also have to realize I do not have much extra time. SO….I must budget my time with a balanced schedule and plan ahead.
I will plan at least 3 months ahead. I will hold 1 major planning day at the beginning of each month and then 1 smaller planning day each week.

On Wednesday’s I will plan my menu for the following week based on my coupons and the sale papers. I will go to the store on Thursday or Friday and report my success/failure. I am tracking the prices so that I can accurately plan my menus.
I will be working on clothing items each week and will post about those as well.

Christmas is Almost Here!

I love this time of year. Christmas.....A celebration of the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is so easy to say that without realizing the true impact of its meaning. HE was BORN to SAVE us!!! How awesome is that!?!?

He saves me daily from my flesh, my selfish ways! Only through him am I able to be the best wife and mother I can be. Thank you Jesus that I have you to rely on.

Just last night I prayed for God to give us a family to bless this year with gifts and food and not even 24 hours has passed and my beautiful Aunt told me of a family that she came in contact with that was in need!! I watched her in amazement and told her the simple prayer I had prayed JUST last night! We both started to cry at the realization that she had been divinely placed at a particular store and a particular checkout line so she could ASK FOR THE lady's name and give it to us!!! Thank you God that she was sensitive to His will!!

WOW!! That is all I can say! WOW!! Thank you Jesus. Now my children will have the most amazing Christmas experience of all.....giving.

Happy Holidays

I love this time of the year. It can be so joyful and full of well wishes. IF we allow it to be! I have noticed that my family's enjoyment of the holidays is directly related to whether or not I am allowing God's love, grace, mercy and joy shine through me!

I am committed to enjoying this season, everyday, even if laundry mountain has had an avalanche!

I am also looking forward to the coming year! I have great changes in store for myself and my blog. I have been praying about a few things and will be very excited to share them very soon!

Much love and blessings,

From the Fowlers