Spending Too Much on the Grocery Budget?
We’ve been overspending on our grocery budget lately, so I was surfing around, looking for some inspiration. Get Rich Slowly has an article about (one person) eating on $15 per week. It has some good tips: eat up all your leftovers, eat in-season produce, and avoid junk food and pre-cooked food. I also found the Hillbilly Housewife’s $45 emergency menu for 4-6 people for one week.
I am determined to be better about planning my meals for the week and only grocery shopping 1-2 times per week. For me, that is the key. If I go every day (and without a list), I tend to spend more and buy impulse items that we really don’t need.
Riding the Bus
If you live in a town large enough for bus service, you may want to look into riding the bus around as an inexpensive form of entertainment. We took The Boy on our local town bus route and had a grand old time. We were the only ones on the bus for the entire trip. He is young enough still to be a free ride and the adult fare was less than $2.
We have a country bus service that we plan to try one of these days. That will be a much longer ride, but will still cost less than $2. Plan ahead and bring a diaper bag with a diaper change if needed, water and snacks. Check the schedule online, then confirm your route with the driver when you get on the bus.
Happy riding!
Garden Tips
If you are interested in starting your own little veggie garden plot, here are a few tips.
1. Find a spot that is suitable to your needs. For example: sunny, away from animals, etc.
2. Check the pH balance of your soil and compare it to the needs of your proposed veggies. Most seed packets have the necessary pH information. Add compost or potting soil to your growing area if needed.
3. Consider building a grow box lined with chicken wire. Especially if you live in gopher-prone areas.
4. Purchase seeds from a reliable source. Try to buy heirloom or non-genetically-modified seeds.
5. Set your seeds out in seedling trays. Grow veggies that are appropriate for your current climate/season.
6. Water your seed faithfully.
7. Transplant to your garden area when seedlings have at least two sets of leaves. Maybe more.
8. Continue to water and check for troublesome weeds daily if you can.
9. Harvest when ripe and enjoy!
Mend Your Own Jeans
I ripped my favorite pair of denim capris yesterday and it is definitely not in the budget to get a new pair right now. So, I pulled out my handy dandy textile adhesive and some denim fabric scraps. Voila, now my capris will last a few more months.
I use Aleene’s Super Fabric Textile Adhesive. It can be found at WalMart for about $3.00. This stuff is amazing. (It is also very toxic, so use it carefully.) Once the glue dries, you can machine wash the clothing and it should stay adhered. I’ve used the stuff to patch clothing, put a skirt together out of old jeans, adhere a button to a pillow and ‘decorate’ clothing with beads or other ‘flair.’
iPhones vs iamFrugal
Anya Kamenetz over at Yahoo Finance has a great article about staying frugal in the age of the iPhone. In addition to adding up the costs of an iPhone she lays out some great basic tips for keeping it frugal. One tip that I cannot recommend highly enough is:
2. Food: Cook It
Actually, I highly recommend all of her tips, also be sure to read her other articles, she has some good advice.
Cleaning Thrift Store/Yard Sale Buys
Here are some hints for cleaning items that you purchase at a second-hand store.
1. Clothing
Wash clothing in hot water if it is material that will not shrink or be damaged by the heat. If you don’t want to risk shrinking or bleeding dyes, wash on your long setting (if your washing machine has one) in cold water. Steer clear of used undergarments.
2. Shoes
Break out the lysol, baking soda, some newspaper and find a sunny spot. Spray the shoes with lysol and let air dry in the sun. Next, sprinkle baking soda inside the shoes and then stuff it with newspaper. I don’t know exactly why this works, but I’ve had luck with this method of getting rid of unwanted odors. Let them sit in the sun another day or so, then remove the newspaper and shake out the baking soda.
3. Toys
Give the toys a hot, soapy bath. Use a small amount of bleach in the water if you think it is necessary. Rinse well - this is important! You don’t want baby chewing on a soapy, bleachy toy. Let dry on a towel or in the dish rack. If the toy is plush, throw it in the washing machine.
4. Furniture, Bikes, etc.
Large outside toys (bicycles, scooters, swings, etc.) can usually stand a good spray with a hose. If you think they need it, use a bucket of soapy water on them or lysol spray. Furniture, such as a high chair or booster seat can usually be cleaned up pretty easily with your trusty lysol spray and a hose. I like to hose things down outside and then let them dry in the sun. Of course, I live in an area where we have dry heat for a good part of the year.
Tupperware Lids
Here is another cheap toy for your young children: Tupperware Lids
Or Rubbermaid or Glad or whatever brand you have. They often come in bright colors. The Boy always loved looking through them. I keep a drawer of lids in the kitchen and that was the only drawer that he could play in when he was a baby. He would pull all the lids out of the drawer, look through them, chew on them a bit and throw them across the floor. That would give me enough time to whip up dinner or empty the dishwasher. I have a mental note to rinse the lids before using them even now. 
20 Timeless Money Rules
Money magazine has 20 of the best timeless money rules from various famous people throughout the ages.
A great read, especially the last one.
Making Money On The Side
After having decided to take the big step of becoming single-income parents, you may begin to wonder if there are any ways of making a little extra money on the side. Of course, if you do find a way, you might not be a single-income family any more! Some stay-at-home parents just need a little extra cash to keep them going. There are many opportunities out there. You just have to consider where your talents lie and how much time and energy you are willing to invest.
If your primary goal in becoming a single income family is to stay at home to care for your children, consider babysitting or providing daycare as an opportunity to earn some extra money. Check with your state’s laws regarding child care. In California at least, you can care for one other family’s children with out a license. However, obtaining a license is not terribly difficult or expensive, if you think that becoming a home daycare provider is for you. Even a simple babysitting swap with another stay at home parent might provide you with some extra time to yourself. Time for myself, in my experience, is sometimes even better than money.
Are you a convincing salesperson? Perhaps try phone sales or appointment setting for a company.
Are you a former teacher? Most communities have many tutoring opportunities from adult schools, to English as a Second Language classes to K-12 students’ needs.
Try working for a secret shopper company. You have to grocery shop every week anyhow, right?
My personal favorite way to make a little extra money is eBay. I can sit down at my computer for one hour a week (assuming I’m not already spending that hour writing these articles) and post several items for sale. I’ve sold things for friends and family too. I take a small cut of the profits.
Are We Raising an Entitled Generation?
Xbox. Playstation. iPod. Cell Phone. 7 year old.
Which one of those doesn’t go with the others? If you are anything like me, you picked the 7 year old. These days, it seems kids never really go without anything and don’t understand how hard you and your family work to give them the things they have. Some people think we are raising an entitled generation and I would have to agree with them.
Make sure you talk to your kids about money and how you need to work hard for the things you want. They should understand that sometimes you have to sacrifice one thing for another. If they want that iPod, they should mow some lawns or weed the yard to help pay for it.
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