Medical Bills; Debt Update

Since mid-February we have paid over $1,000 on our medical bills and then incurred some new ones from my many doctor visits/hospitalization and still waiting on the full hospital bill, which we will probably owe around $1,800 but we don't have it yet, so it is not included in the amount.

We are down to owing just $2,460! I'm so excited at watching the amount go down over the past year and a half from $40,000. This is the only debt we have and then we will be totally debt free. We had even paid off our car 2 years early and that sure felt good. You can read that post here: http://frugaladdict.blogspot.com/2008/05/chains-fell-off.html

Free 3-part Dave Ramsey Series; Life. Money. Hope.

You can watch for free Dave Ramsey's 3-part Series on Life. Money. Hope; Biblical Advice in Difficult Times:

Week 1 - Basics of Biblical Finance
Week 2 - Breaking the Bondage of Debt
Week 3 - Myth About Money

http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/watch/life-money-hope


Here are some of my favorite quotes from the series:


"You need to learn to live on LESS then you make" ~ Proverbs 21:20 "There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up."

"Contentment is probably the most powerful financial principle there is"

"You can't believe everything you hear to the extent it doesn't line up with this (the Bible)"

"Let me tell you how you can tell if you can afford it - You have the money to pay for it"

"GOD is your provider.......Debt has been marketed to us so thoroughly, we now think IT is our provider"

"It's a matter of character.......I'm not going to borrow money anymore."

"God has the opportunity to show up"

"Your Father has a plan for you and it's not to serve other masters!"


Disclaimer - I don't agree with Dave's view on Tithing doesn't matter in light of eternity.  Those that love the Lord will do what he says period!  Just wanted to put that disclaimer in.

97% in Grocery Savings!

Bev's Frugal Tortilla Chip Dip

This isn't anything fancy but tastes so good and is frugal! It is so simple to make and you can double it if you have a larger family. This normally lasts us a week.

• 1 can FF refried beans (or make your own)
• 1/4c shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2c salsa

Combine all and heat to melt cheese; stir; serve with tortilla chips.

Kickoff - Super Frugal April Starts!

My husband and I were very excited last night to start this new challenge!   I thought I would give you a glimpse into the first day and what is ahead.  I have not done my grocery shopping yet, that will be next week (maybe a short trip this week as well for milk and veggies).  Since milk has gotten so cheap lately, it is actually CHEAPER to buy milk rather then the powdered milk, so I have been doing that for the past few months.

I haven't completed my full month's meal list, but off the top of my head (and isn't my final list) here is what I will be making this month homemade:

• Bagels
• Bread 
• Pancakes
• Waffles
• Cookies (lots of oatmeal cookies!)
• Pies/cakes/coffee cakes
• Granola bars
• Jello
• Brownies
  
• Hummus (made today - we use it as dip for carrot and celery sticks and my daughter LOVES it!)
• Muffins
• Tortillas
• Dip for Tortilla chips (I will share the recipe in another post)
  

Today I made a huge pot of Bean Chili that lasts us normally 3 days!  We top it with shredded cheddar cheese and I also use FF sour cream in mine.  Then we have baked potatoes with the chili.  It is VERY filling and you can find the recipe we have used for a few years here.  I find that we don't miss the meat.  I also don't use the brand name Rotel in the recipe but rather the generic green chili's and tomatoes.

I buy whole carrots in the bag, which are very cheap, instead of buying baby carrots.  I then wash them, scrub them with my veggie brush and slice them and put them in a container in the fridge.  We use them as snacks, along with celery sticks, and dip them in hummus. 

I buy a lot of frozen produce and you can read how that it is actually healthier sometimes then fresh or canned produce here: http://frugaladdict.blogspot.com/2008/10/frozen-produce.html

Last night, I went ahead and made the dip for tortilla chips, which is one of our snacks.  I will be sharing the recipe for the dip in the next post.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent; Powdered and Liquid

Here is the powdered version of dishwasher detergent:

Equal parts of Borax and Baking soda; Combine; Use 1-2 T per load

I used it for a while but I've never been a big fan of powdered detergent, so I just bought some cheap store-bought liquid dishwasher detergent and have been using that.  Until it dawned on me that I could easily make a paste by adding water to the borax/baking soda powder.  (yes, I know that should be common sense, but it seemed to have escaped me until recently lol). 

So, to get homemade liquid dishwasher detergent, simply add water until you get the consistency you want!  I use 2-3 T of the liquid per load.