Weekend "travels" with the family

I am writing this post a day late, as I've gone back to work this week. Yesterday, we were swamped with meetings and open house, so I simply just didn't get to post. I know you understand, dear readers.

Budget matters: Saving money

This is not going to be a fun post. It's not about a fun project, or even an organizing project. It's about something completely and totally NOT fun to talk about...money.

The husband and I both have good jobs, but like many people in today's times, we don't have a whole lot of extra. We have a monthly budget sheet in which we track our bills and expenditures each month, but one month, it seemed we were hit pretty hard. We're also gearing up for our new baby and all the new expenses having another family member will bring.

Saving money: Cooking at home

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We usually have a garden each year, but we don't have one this summer, as my husband would have to care for the garden by himself. I'm pregnant and I've passed the point where I can bend down easily. I surely miss our garden though. Thankfully, there is still the farmer's market and some of our family members with gardens have generously passed some goodies our way. We eat a lot of fresh produce for dinner all summer long.

Last night, our dinner table looked like this:

That would be fresh corn on the cob, cucumbers, tomatoes and peaches from my father-in-law, fried squash from my parents' neighbors, and watermelon and cantaloupe from the farmer's market. The entire meal cost right around $5 and it was delicious. 

If you have the room for a garden, this can save tremendously on your grocery bill. Plus, the taste of the food is amazing. 

Come back tomorrow for a tasty zucchini recipe.

Linking to Stonegable, Worthing Court, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Confessions of a Plate Addict, and French Country Cottage!

Saving money: saving on grocery bills.

We only go grocery shopping twice a month in this house. As I type that, i realize how crazy it sounds. We are trying to save money, due to the upcoming birth of our second child. Food prices only seem to get more expensive by the day, and even though I've tried couponing, I've never really been able to make it work. Still, there are a few other ways we've managed to save a few bucks at the grocery store. Here are a few tips we have learned along the way.

Simplified cooking: Easy Taco Soup

Lately, as the weather is getting colder, I am on a quest to find delicious soups I can make that will also make more than one meal and are not expensive to prepare. I've never made taco soup before, but a local restaurant makes an amazing taco soup. I decided to attempt to make a copy cat version.

 The most expensive part of this meal was the ground beef, at $5.29 for 1.2 pounds. The Ro-tell and Dell Monte diced tomatoes were each $.97, and the taco seasoning and ranch packets were about $1. I paid $.92 for the pintos, kidney beans, black beans and corn because I bought store brand.

Organized and Simplified: Simplify your utility bills.

We are always looking for ways to save money around here. When we surveyed our expenses at the end of 2014, we realized we spend a lot of money on food and utilities. We decided trying to cut costs any way we can.

One idea the husband came up with was to replace all of our light bulbs and light fixtures with energy-efficient LED bulbs. We have changed out the light bulbs in our bathrooms and in most of the lamps so far. The ceiling fan requires a light bulb with a candelabra base, and those are kind of hard to find. Other light fixtures in the house aren't rated for LED bulbs and will have to be switched out. The good news is we have wanted to change out several light fixtures anyway. We've already changed our kitchen florescent fixture over to an LED fixture, and next we're going to replace the lights in our entry way and hallway. Not to far behind those lights will be the office light and the playroom light.

We have been planning meals two weeks at a time and scheduling big grocery shopping trips to coincide with my husband's pay days (I only get paid once a month). We do still sometimes have to make small trips to pick up things we have run out of, or forgotten. To curb this problem, I made a "grocery inventory," which I laminated, attached magnets to, and stuck on the side of the fridge. A magnetic writing pad and a pen are here too for easy shopping list creation.

We are trying to make it an entire month without eating dinner out, except on Sundays. I am also attempting to eat breakfast at home. I was spending about $4 a day at McDonald's eating things that probably were not the best choices. Now I'm eating healthier and cheaper. I'm also eating a lunch from home instead of spending $20 a week on cafeteria food.

Another idea we are trying is one that I learned from a fellow blogger. Every other month, declare it a "spend free" month. Don't buy anything for the house, don't buy anything unnecessary for yourself, and in fact, don't buy anything that isn't essential to your everyday life. Oh, you can still do house projects, you will just have to use free materials or materials you already have on hand.

So far, we are noticing a little difference in our bank account. We will need to observe it after a longer period of time to see a huge difference, but as we know, every little bit helps.