Homemade Goods to Make

Here is my plan for homemade goods.  I may add more but for now here is what I know I need to make:

Granola bars

Bagels

Pancakes

Cinnamon rolls

Muffins

Instant oatmeal (homemade packets)

Bean dip

Hummus

Salsa

Jam

Boiled eggs

The bagels, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, muffins, hummus and jam are going in the freezer.

I'm not sure what we are doing for Christmas, but we normally make a huge meal and sugar cookies and decorate them but since we are in saving mode, we may do something simple.

Detailed Food & Non-Food Costs

I made my lists, went through my inventories and went grocery shopping.  I went to 4 stores but they are all within 5 minutes from where we live.  Here are my food and non-food detailed costs so far, I only plan on buying milk, bread and produce the rest of the month.....unless we have a craving we can't resist or we decide to do a fancy Christmas meal.

There is one thing I didn't get because they were out - tahini that I need to make hummus, so I will be adding that when it comes in stock.  We also got a tub of ice cream tonight (craving!) for $2.40 but I had already made this list before then.

Food Costs

*Note - I forgot to double the cost for the salmon pouches, so it should read $3.90

Total food costs - $159
Food money left - $91 (for milk, produce and bread and cravings)

Non-Food Items

Total non-food costs + tax - $101
Non-food money left - $19 (diapers if I run out)

December 10 - January 14 Dinner Meal Plan

I may be able to do these in freezer meals this week, we will see how it goes.  If not, I will be making double batches of each meal when I do cook it, to give me some freezer meals.  For this month of meals, I need 36 meals total, because it is a 5-week month pay-period.  I'm also allowing a few days unplanned for Christmas and my birthday in January.

Red Beans, Sausage & Rice x 4

Navy Bean Sausage Casserole x 4

Chili & Baked Potatoes x 4

Spaghetti & Cheese Bread x 2

Easy Tuna Casserole + Peas x 2

Pasta & Navy Bean Alfredo x 2

Hamburgers & Home Fries x 2

Israeli Couscous x 2

Southwest Mac n' Cheese x 2

Tacos x 2

Pizza x 4

$50 a Week Food Budget for a Family of 4

We are setting a budget of $50 a week for food for our family of 4, which is $200 for a 4-week month.  This pay period month happens to be a 5-week month, which means, I can get an extra $50 for that extra week for food.  I planned my meals out, planned my baking/goodies list and then made my lists and went shopping and will detail that in the next post.  Here are the goals.

Goals for December 10 - January 14
$250 Food budget
$120 Non-Food budget

I'm estimating that we will spend $40-$50 a month on just milk, since my baby is on whole milk now and drinks 18-24 ounces a day, sometimes more.  We also drink milk and use it in cooking, so it is a big part of our budget.  I only buy organic milk as well as we noticed better health since doing so several years ago.  We also buy bananas weekly, apples bi-monthly, and salad mix bi-monthly.  I also sometimes get a few more things likes kiwi, pears or carrots.  Totaling for all these is about $30 for produce.  I've been buying bread instead of making it because we found a bread that we really like that has no HFCS in it but it is costing us $20-$25 a month for bread.  Total for milk, produce and bread is about $80 a month.  So that leaves me with $120 in a 4-week month, but this 5-week month leaves me with $150.

Weekly & Bi-Monthly Food Purchases Cost - 5-week pay period month
Milk - $50
Produce - $30
Bread - $25
Total -- $100
Left for other foods - $150

Saving With Amazon Mom Subscribe & Save

I've been using Amazon's Subscribe & Save program for a few years now and got good deals but then the prices went up and I stopped using it.  Then, we joined Amazon Prime because we like to enjoy the free videos that come with NO commercials, free 2-day shipping and being able to borrow e-books on our Kindle.  When you are an Amazon Prime member and a mother, you can join Amazon Mom and that is where the big savings come in.  On a normal Subscribe & Save price, you save 5% but when you are an Amazon Mom member and have at least 5 items a month, you save 20%!  This has lessened my grocery shopping time, cut out a store or two and saved me money!

Here are some ways we save(d) on items through this program:

Formula 
Some of you may remember our son Zach had a severe milk allergy and has been on Alimentum - costing us about $400 a month.  With the new formula, Good Start Gentle, our 20% discount gets us a 23.2 oz tub for $19.02.  Not only is the price WAY cheaper, but the tub is bigger at 23.2 oz vs. 16 oz and we should only need 2 tubs a week instead of 3 of the old, smaller brand.  We will now be saving.....$182 in a 4-week month!!  We have now gone from paying $334-$416 a month to $152-$190 a month!

*Update - Just found that I can now get the 27.8 oz (bigger size!) in a 4-pack for just $84.14, which makes it about 76 cents an ounce!  That is by far the best deal anywhere for this right now.  This was with the $7 coupon you can clip with the item.  One of these bigger sizes will last about a week for us, meaning our costs just went WAY down for the last month on formula!

Toilet Paper
For the past decade or so, we have used Scott 1000-sheet toilet paper because it is the best bargain.  One roll lasts 3 days in our house, whereas any other type of tissue barely made it a day.  The 12-pack I normally bought would last us a month and a week and all for just about $8, then the prices started going way up and I have found that the Wal-mart brand was just as good and then that started going up.  Recently, the 20-pack has come available on Amazon's program and with Amazon Mom, we get it for $10.38 (+tax), which makes it 52 cents a roll.  That is pretty good considering how long each roll lasts.  One 20-pack lasts us about 60 days or 2 months - so we are only spending about $5.50 a month on toilet paper.

Night-time Diapers - Size 4
My son sleeps 11-12 hours and we were so tired of getting him in the morning and he would be soaked in pee.  We finally tried Huggies OverNights and we are hooked!  I don't remember the last time (maybe months ago?) that he woke up soaked.  These diapers hold all through the night for my belly-sleeping baby boy.  We get 60 of them for $13.48, making them  22.46 cents each and that lasts us 2 months.  Wal-mart has them at 28 cents each, so Amazon Mom's price is definitely the cheapest I've found.

Baby Wipes
In the beginning we used some really cheap wipes that were 96 cents for an 80-pack and they were CHEAP, not just in price but quality and we now hate them lol.  They were so thin and then trying to get them out of the package was a nightmare.  I still have some to use up someday, but we switched to Parent's Choice and those were better but the one we wanted was out of stock a lot at our store.  (I only like to use alcohol-free, unscented, natural wipes because they don't leave a film and don't dry out or irritate my son's skin.)  We tried out Huggies Natural Care wipes and now these are my favorite wipes and in my opinion they are THE best wipes out there because they are thick and definitely do the job.  We get 648 wipes for $12.70, which makes them 1.9 cents a wipe.  From my estimation, one box lasts us about 2 months.

Deodorant
I use a certain kind of deodorant and so does my husband.  With this program, we get 6-count packs of our favorite brands for $10.32, which makes each one $1.72 each.

Q-tips
I've tried generic brands of these only to have them fall apart and one even came out in my ear - scary!  We stick with the name brand now and get a 3-pack, 625-count (1,875 Q-tips) for $7.59.  When we used to buy these in 500-count sizes at the store, we paid way more.

Shampoo
I buy all of our family's shampoo on this program.  My husband uses a 2-n-1 shampoo/conditioner and we pay just $2.30 for a 28 oz bottle that lasts him a long time.  My daughter and I go through a lot of shampoo, and I get each of the brand I buy for $3.43 for 13 oz.  I can't find my shampoo locally anymore, so I've had to buy it online from Walgreens but now they offer it through this program and it has saved me money.

Face Wash
I use Olay's Sensitive Skin Foaming Face Wash and get a 2-pack for $7.10, whereas it was over $4 each at Wal-mart.  One usually lasts me a month or more.

Toothpaste
We still follow the teeth regime that healed my gum disease and the toothpaste we use is Crest regular, nothing added.  I was getting a 3-pack for $5 from Wal-Mart, but now I get a 3-pack, 6.4oz each for $3.81 from this program.  That makes each 6.4 oz tube just $1.27!  I also have bought the Cloysis rinse for about $10 each but they have now discontinued it from this program.

Lysol Wipes
Since my rough pregnancy and dealing with a baby, I started using Lysol wipes and I don't want to part with them.  They save me so much time and laundry that I think they are worth the cost.  I get a 3-pack, 240 wipes total for $7.98, making each tub $2.66, cheaper than my Wal-Mart price of $3.33 each.  I've been using this when I'm in a hurry and don't want to get out the washcloth and my homemade spray OR when we have been sick and need the extra sterilization.  I can clean my whole toilet with one wipe, then my sink and counter with one wipe - they are just awesome!!

Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
I use these in a lot of recipes and this is the cheapest I've found them at $1.48 per 14.5 oz can (organic).  I get a 12-pack for $17.75.  All of my other organic tomato products are cheaper with Azure Standard, but not this one.

*If you aren't able to get Azure Standard delivered to your area, you can get great deals on Amazon's program, I saw the 25 pound of organic wheat flour for $21, not to mention many other food items cheaper in bulk.


Other:

- Glad 45-count 13-gallon trash bags = $5.98
- Kotex feminine daily liners 130-count, clip $2 coupon = $2.51
- Happy Puffs 2.1oz Carrot/Blueberry = $2.15
- Nutiva organic coconut oil 30 oz = $11.98
- Jiff peanut butter, 6 lbs = $11.15
- Bob's Red Mill organic ground flaxseed, 4 lbs = $11.43
- NuNaturals Alcohol-free stevia, 2oz = $7.51
- NuNaturals Pure White Stevia Powder, 1 oz = $7.03
- Ragu, 4 - 45 oz bottles (11.25 lbs/ 180 oz) = $9.34
- Barilla pastas, 4 lbs = $3.74
- Nestle Carnation Non-fat Instant dry milk, 25.6 oz  = $8.49


Past Savings:

Daytime Diapers - Size 4
I was using Parent's Choice brand from Wal-mart at 16 cents each but switched to Luvs through the Amazon program.  We have been able to get 180-pack for $26.39 for a few months now.  This made each diaper 14.67 cents each and WAS the best deal until the company pulled a fast one - they recently changed the box from 180 to 160 diapers at the same price.  They say it is new and improved - well, there was nothing wrong with the old ones!  That makes each diaper now 16.49 cents each and the Parent's Choice is 15.94 cents each - so back to Wal-mart we go for this item.


*I'm not sure if my prices will be the same in different areas, but you can calculate the 20% off to see your price and decide if it is worth joining Amazon Mom.

Emergency Cell Phone for $80 a Year

I had posted about this several years ago, but had more than one person ask us about this, so I thought it would be helpful to post and show you how we have had a cell phone for $80 a YEAR - yes, YEAR not a month! We only use it in emergencies or quick calls from the store, etc.

Here is how you do it:

Buy a Tracfone from their website for $14.99 that comes with Double Minutes for Life. Then, every 3 months, purchase the 60 minute card for $19.99. That gives you 3 months of service at a time with 120 minutes (remember you bought a phone with double minutes for life). Do this 4 times a year and you are only spending $80 for service and a total of 480 minutes, which comes out to only $6.67 a month! You won't need anymore than that unless you use it for more than emergencies. There are taxes and small fees in certain areas, so it may run you $10 more a year in some areas, but that is still just $90 a year! The minutes carryover, so if you don't use it - you KEEP it!

If you want to buy the entire year of service, you will get more minutes. For $99, you get a full year of service + 800 minutes (remember they doubled) + 250 bonus minutes = 1,050 minutes! So for $99 you are getting 1.050 minutes to use over a year or about 88 minutes a month for just $8.33. That is the best deal right now if you have the money to pay up front.

In times where you need more minutes - travel, hospital stays, etc. - you simply buy a larger card. When I was pregnant and in the hospital a lot, we spent $120 a year to give us more minutes to use. You only need to buy new minutes as you need them and if you need more, simply add them and they all double.

The typical American is spending $200 a MONTH on a cell phone just for convenience. If you want to cut costs, save for the future or simply be able to give to others in need - sacrificing your convenience will give you that ability.

Where I Don't Want to Be

Thinking back on growing up and what I saw as "normal" around me and even looking at the current situation of some, I see where I don't want to be.  I'm not talking about location - I'm talking about lifestyle.  A lifestyle of debt.  It is one of the saddest things I've ever seen in my life as it holds its captors in chains, seemingly never able to be delivered.

The lifestyle where even though you are not rich, you can live like you are with credit.  A home is possible thanks to credit.  Vacations are possible thanks to credit.  New cars every few years are common because of credit.  However, because of credit, which ultimately leads to debt, you end up having to put needed clothing and shoes on yet more credit.  When the bad times come, frugality also comes with it, but it is short-lived and once times improve it is back to spending money you don't have.

Yet, when hard times come, no one wants to be reminded of how they didn't save, or plan, in the good times - they want handouts to help in their time of "need."

This is the lifestyle so many live in and one that tries to snatch ahold of me as I try to leave its clutches.  We were able to fully escape debt several years ago and we only have medical bills now due to my recent pregnancy.   We aren't planning on getting a loan on a home because we don't want to fall into the same trap of debt that we have seen others in who still owe it after almost 50 years.  It has been the noose around many people's neck that binds them for life - all for the sake of "owning" a home, of which they don't even own yet and may not own in their lifetime.

However, I'm finding that we are not saving as much as we should in the times of plenty and we have gotten too comfortable in the good times.  What I see in this debt lifestyle isn't where I want to be financially. I want to prepare, have a storehouse of sorts for times of trouble and follow the principles of the Bible using wisdom in our finances and even helping those that are truly in need.  This is something I constantly have to bring myself back to or I will get carried away during the good times.  Stop and take account of your life and live debt-free!!  You can still be rich living debt-free - in all reality, you ARE rich when you don't have others' money but your own.

Don't owe others money (debt) but rather owe others LOVE!  Isn't that the just of the scripture:

Romans 13:8

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Frugal Recipes Inspiration

I admit that since having my baby, I haven't been very frugal.  I have needed to be because my son's special formula and then paying off all the medical bills is costing us a lot, but my energy to plan or time to prepare everything has been almost non-existent.  It has caught up with us, so in order to pay off our medical bills in a year - we need to get frugal again.  This will be hard for me because I've been spending $100 or so a WEEK on groceries and that is because I didn't have time to plan.  I admit that having a baby really changes things - I mean REALLY changes things, but things are starting to calm down a bit around here and I feel I can work in the planning to get frugal again.

I've come across a few blogs and post to help me get back to it and I call these, "frugal inspirations:"

http://theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com/

http://baconinmypocket.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-we-dont-eat-dog-food-around-here.html

http://smithlive.blogspot.com/2011/12/monthly-meal-planning.html

http://marysdepressionerarecipes.blogspot.com/
http://marysdepressionerarecipes.blogspot.com/2009/10/dirt-cheap-meals.html

http://www.food52.com/contests/239

http://www.budget101.com/frugal/dirt-cheap-recipes-815/

http://pinterest.com/budget101/dirt-cheap-recipes/

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2009/10/13/100-delicious-dirt-cheap-recipes-for-the-starving-student/

If you know of any more frugal websites, blogs or post - leave it in the comments!