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Monday, February 25, 2008

A taste of My menu

Menu Planning is near and dear to my heart. It is essential that I plan what we will be eating if I am to stay on my budget. My goal is to still eat a well balanced diet, while saving money. Menu planning helps me do that. It also saves me time, for those of you who think that it might take too much time to do. Time is the one thing I covet the most, being a busy mother of six children.

With that being said, here is a taste of what a typical weekly menu looks like in our house. If you are reading my new series on How I feed my family of 8 for $300 a month, menu planning is one thing I will be covering. So stay tuned!

Monday:
Cheesy chicken vermicelli
Sauteed squash
Fresh herb bread

Tuesday:
3 bean chili
Cornbread

Wednesday:
Spaghetti
Homemade garlic bread

Thursday:
Homemade chicken pot pie
Salad

Friday:
Homemade pizza--->the kids love to make these!
Homemade breadsticks

Saturday:
Mini meatloaf patties
Braised radishes
Cheesy cauliflower casserole

Sunday:
Baked chicken
Potatoes baked in foil, topped with butter, onions, and bell peppers
Salad

Sunday, February 24, 2008

How I feed my family of 8 on $300 a month - Part 1

Since I have recently lowered my monthly grocery budget to just $300 a month, there has been alot of buzz. People want to know how in the world I do it. They want to know if it takes alot of time and effort? Do they have to feed their family processed, boxed food with little to no nutritional value? And lastly, how can they do the same thing for their family?

On the contrary, my current system takes less time and effort than my old way of doing things. My family eats more nutritious meals, no boxed meals here! And yes, you can do the same thing for your family too!

It does take a little time and effort in the beginning. You have to be willing to learn a new way of doing things. We live in a world where people expect to see immediate results without putting in much effort. I can tell you that although I had to put in a little time to learn how to save money, I am now seeing the fruit of my labor.

You do have an advantage over me though. I didn't have anyone show me all the secrets. I have since found amazing websites with lots of great advice, like Money Saving Mom, but in the beginning I had to figure it all out on my own.

Over the next few weeks, I will show you how I feed my family for only $300 a month. I will show you how you too can feed your family well, while still saving money. I will show you how to budget. How to plan a menu and make a grocery list from your menu. How to shop the weekly sales and further plan your menu from that. How to stock up your pantry with all the great deals you find. Lastly, how to get free, or even get paid to buy toiletries and medicines at the drugstores.

Coming Next: I will be talking about how to set up a reasonable budget.


Help for mamas!

Now, everywhere I go I have people stopping me, asking me questions about how to do such-and-such. Everything from how to raise children, how to run their homes more efficiently, to homeschooling, to questions on how to save money.

Now, when I am asked these questions, it is fully expected that I give a detailed response. I love to offer whatever knowledge I have to help somebody, but there seems to be a few questions that repeat themselves quite frequently. So, I figured that sharing what I do on a blog might be a great way for me to help more women. To answer some of my more frequently asked questions.

God has given me a desire for my family and my home. It wasn't always so, but God has changed me into a new person. It is because of this new-found passion, that I hope to help other women see the blessings of a life at home.

So, as I journey along with this blog I hope to be able to share what God has taught me so far. How to save money. How to stay organized. How in the world I homeschool all of my children, and most of all how my heart was turned towards a life at home.