Step Your Way to Your Dream Budget

Photo Credit: lorimarsha

It’s no secret that I believe most  households can feed their family for $50 per person per month.  If you can afford more than that, it’s okay to spend more.  But many single income families need to be at this level to pay off debt or to avoid taking on debt.  For many mothers I speak with, $50 per person is overwhelming to think about.  I encourage them to gradually step their way to that level as they fine tune their shopping skills.  This way families start saving money early, but  have wiggle room so no one has to go hungry while they are learning.

If you would like to step your way to a smaller grocery budget, try this simple plan:  Set aside your grocery money in a cash envelope.  The first month–keep the same budget you’ve always had.  Spend $50 per person per month on food you will consume immediately–this month.  Spend the rest of the money on lowest cost items as much as you can afford to put in your pantry.

The next month, reduce your total budget by 20%.  Continue to spend the $50 per person on food to consume right away and whatever is left to build up your pantry. Continue shrinking your budget by 20% each month until you are down to $50 per person per month.

Then you can divide that money between buying fresh and restocking your pantry.  At this point you will eat some out of your pantry as you replace what you eat when the low prices show up again.

While you are practicing your shopping skills, pay close attention to the sale prices you see in the grocery ads and on the shelves.  You will notice that some advertised low prices have been lower in the past and will be again in the future.  If you can, hold off buying those items until you see them reach their all time low and then buy all you can afford.  Occasionally coupons will match up with these sales, but if coupons are overwhelming to you don’t worry about it.  I’ve been able to stay at the $50 per person level without touching a coupon.

I believe in you!  Go shrink your grocery bills .

Bavarian Strawberry Pie

2 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 quart fresh strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 (.25 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped

In a small bowl, combine coconut and butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. pie plate. Bake at 300 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned (cover edges loosely with foil to prevent over browning if necessary). Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, combine strawberries and sugar; let stand for 15 minutes. In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Cook and stir over medium heat until gelatin is dissolved; stir in lemon juice. Stir into strawberry mixture. Cool to room temperature. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into crust. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing.

No time? Think Slow Cooking

As busy moms our time is limited.  Stress makes it hard to think and most of us grab something convenient (or fast food) for supper when we would rather fix a healthy meal.  If you’ve done it too, you’re normal.  I’ve started to lean more and more on my slow cooker to help relieve this stress.  I can put healthy ingredients in the crock before the rest of the house is awake, forget about it for the rest of the day, and just sit down to eat at dinner.  This is so helpful when we are gone for music lessons or I have a full day of cleaning planned while we are home.

Most of the slow cooker recipes I’ve found contain cream of soups with MSG and other highly processed foods.  I’ve spent the last two years researching alternatives and learning how to do as little prep as possible and still use whole grain pastas, dry beans, and unrpocessed brown rice.  Here are some of the things I’ve found:

Add an extra cup of water to your tomato based sauce and let your ingredients slow cook all day.  Then 15 minutes before serving, stir in 12 oz of whole grain pasta.  It will cook up without getting soggy, absorb the extra water and thicken your sauce!

Milk products tend to curdle  when slow cooked, unless they are highly processed cream soups or velveeta cheese.  To make a natural cream sauce, cook your broth and veggies all day and right before serving stir in yogurt, sour cream, parmesean cheese, or cream cheese just until smooth and heated through. It will thicken as it cools.

Brown rice and barley will continue to absorb water as long as there is water to absorb turning to a mushy mess.  These are great slow cooker candidates if added at the end.  Add brown rice for the last hour of cooking and barley for the last 3o minutes.

I’ve compiled 31 natural slow cooker recipes with full color photos into an e=book available at groceryshrink.com.  Here is one that is for you to sample:

Strawberry Jam

Photo Credit: Jesse K.

We recently went to a local “pick your own” strawberry farm and had the most wonderful time!  But, the real work began when we got home.  Three baskets of strawberries doesn’t seem like a lot – until you’re washing, trimming and canning them.  With the help of my wonderful family, we were able to can three batches within a few hours.

I first started canning in 2007.  I have the mentality of “I can make that!” when I see something in the store.  So, I made a mental determination that I would conquer my fear of canning and learn how.  It’s really not as hard as it seems and my fears (although real) were unnecessary and a hindrance.  I figured if my grandma could do it, so could I.

I borrowed my mother-in-law’s mega water bath canner (just a big ol’ pot with an inner rack for lifting the jars up and down), read a lot of websites on how to can and just went at it.  The first thing I tried was strawberry jam.

I use the recipe in the pectin box (Sur-Jell) and it turns out good every time.  Other than the strawberries, there are a few other ingredients that are in jam, including sugar, pectin and sometimes lemon juice.  Pectin can come as either “no sugar added” or the regular pectin.  If you use the “no sugar added” recipe, this would probably be good for diabetics.

Here’s the recipe for the plain ol’ strawberry jam:

• 5 cups crushed strawberries
• 1 package of pectin
• ½ tsp. butter (helps to reduce the foaming)
• 7 cups of sugar

Materials needed:

• Waterbath canner (or a tall stock pot)
• large-mouth funnel
• canning tongs (for adding & removing the jars from the boiling water)
• regular tongs (for removing the lids & rings from the hot water)
• Glass measuring cup
• Ball, Kerr or Mason jars (4 oz. jars, ½ pints or pints)
• Lids, rings

Here are the steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (to keep your jars warm).
2. Fill the canner with water (so that it’ll cover the jars by one inch) & turn it on high so that it can start heating to boiling. (This takes awhile).
3. Fill a large pot with water (for the lids and rings)
4. Wash the jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and rinse.  Add the rings & lids to the pot of water (in #3) and bring to a simmer, turn the heat down but keep them hot.
5. Put your clean jars into the pre-heated oven so that they stay clean and hot (they will also sterilize at that temperature).
6. Prepare your strawberries, crushing one cup at a time using a potato masher for best results.  Or, you may use a food processor, pulse to chop.
7. Measure the exact amount of fruit into the dutch oven.
8. Measure the exact amount of sugar into a separate bowl.
9. Stir the box of pectin into the crushed fruit.   Add ½ teaspoon butter to reduce foaming, if desired.
10. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
11. Stir in sugar quickly.  Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim off any foam.
12. Remove your jars from the oven (preferably with tongs so you don’t burn yourself) and place them on a towel on your counter.  Quickly (and safely)  ladle the hot jam into the prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch from the top.  Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean, warm, wet cloth.  Cover with two-piece lids.  Screw bands tightly.
13. Place jars in the boiling/simmering water bath (use the canning tongs and be very careful).  Water must cover jars by 1-2 inches; add boiling water if needed.  Cover.
14. Process jams for 10 minutes; jelly 5 minutes.  If you live at a higher altitude, you’ll need to adjust the processing time.
15. Remove the jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely.  After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger.  The lid should not spring back.  If it does, then refrigerate the jam and use it first.

TIP: To prevent hard water deposits on your jars, add a splash of vinegar to the canning water and your jars will come out crystal clean.

Polynesian Style Meatballs

I am very proud of this recipe since I am normally not the type of person who likes to stray from a traditional European palette which is in general savory.  My husband is constantly whining that I try something new, like say Thai, Indian, African…  While I’m not opposed to these cuisines, I find that I either love or hate the spices, so trying something has a 50/50 chance of failure.  But I’ve been making an effort.  Here is the fruit of some of my labor.

Polynesian Style Meatballs
1 recipe Sweet and Sour Sauce (see recipe below)
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 cup FRESH pineapple
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Dash of soy sauce
Dash of olive oil
20-30 meatballs (one of my favorites are Tofu Walnut Balls)

Place meatballs in a small baking dish (9×13 is too large).

Cut peppers and onions into strips and cut strips in half.  Saute pepper, garlic and onion in the olive oil and soy sauce until they begin to get tender.  Scatter on top of meatballs.

Cut up fresh pineapple into bite sized chunks and add to the pan you sauted the peppers in.  Lightly brown the pineapple and then toss on top of the meatballs.

Pour sweet and sour sauce over the meatballs and bake for 30 min on 350.  Serve immediately.

** This would also be a nice topping for gluten chops or grilled/fried tofu or some other meat substitute.**

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
4 t. corn starch
1/2 c. Vegetable broth
1/3 c. lemon juice
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 c. coconut milk
4 T. tomato paste
1 t. olive oil
1/2 c. toasted shredded coconut (fastest way is in a frying pan – no oil – on med heat, keep flipping them so they don’t burn)

Mix ingredients together (minus coconut) and heat on medium heat until thickened slightly.  Add coconut and mix in.

The Big Money Saving Secret

The secret to saving a ton of money is backwards planning.

It’s not buy what you want when you want it, but want what you can buy when you can buy it.

Most articles on grocery savings tell you to make a menu plan and a careful list, then stick to the list when you go shopping. Instead I suggest you go to the store, buy only the best deals available and then meal plan based on what you have. This may mean that you can’t follow a recipe exactly. This method requires creative cooking. It requires a knowledge of common substitutes and basic kitchen chemistry. You will become a better, more experienced cook. And you WILL save a ton of money.

The longer you practice this method of shopping and planning the easier it gets, because you will build a large variety of ingredients in your pantry to plan from. Soon you can do your planning before you go to the store based on what you already have and what you know you will buy from the loss leaders in the ads. Then it’s easy to pick up one or two essential ingredients to complete your meals.

Here’s an example of basic cooking chemistry. Fact: 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch or 2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour will thicken 1 cup of liquid to gravy or concentrated soup consistency. Halve the amount of thickener for soup; double it for pudding. You can use this knowledge to make your own gravy, cream soups, or cooked pudding. No more mixes required!

Here’s an example of common substitutions: plain yogurt can be substituted in equal portions for sour cream and visa-versa. Use this for taco night, dip and dressing recipes etc.

How to Stay on the Frugal Path

You already know what to do. Saving money is just using common sense. Then why is it so hard? The emotions behind it make it hard. It’s the same with weight loss. Eat less, exercise more. It works; it’s not complicated. So why do I struggle with it? It’s how I FEEL about it that makes it hard.

When we started our get out of debt journey I pushed myself through the first pity-party by remembering the pictures the missionaries brought back of how the other part of the world lives. My poverty was riches compared to the daily life of a large part of the world.

Since it felt pretty selfish to feel sorry for myself, I started feeling sorry for my kids. They couldn’t have new clothes or all the latest toys. Surely I was depriving them. Then I saw they were happier not to be overwhelmed with things. Have you ever noticed a young child at a birthday party? All they want to do is play with the gift they just opened, only to be forced to set it aside to open another one. It often ends with tears. After a few years of that, the child learns to open a gift, set it aside and say, “Next.” This child is left with feelings of disappointment when the last gift is opened. When children learn early that there will be just one gift, they are free to enjoy it and appreciate it.

My husband was blessed with a great job last year and though nothing in life is secure, we aren’t afraid for the moment. We are catching up on household repairs and replacing our savings from our previous months of unemployment. It’s harder for me to be frugal when we have an adequate salary, but I push through by keeping my eye on the goal. I imagine what it will feel like to have the house paid off, to walk barefoot through the grass in the yard and know it belongs to me. I imagine taking my children on a vacation that involves an airplane and a boat, a beach, and a mountain. I imagine walking into my kitchen when all the appliances work properly and there’s no hole in the counter. I think about sitting on my porch watching the kids play basketball on a driveway that isn’t crumbling and a freshly painted house. I think about these things and I put the candle back on the shelf at the store. It’s worth it.

When it is hard to stay on the frugal path, I think about others who sacrifice even more just to survive. I think about how good it is for my children, and I think about the future and how much better life will be if I persevere with the plan.

Now if I could get the same discipline when dealing with food. I keep telling myself, “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.” But it’s easier to believe it when I’m not hungry. I think we all have different areas of struggle, and we need each other for encouragement, support, and new ideas to make it easier.

Here is a money saving recipe:

Creamed Eggs and Biscuits

Biscuits:

2 cups whole wheat flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup of butter, melted

2 cups cold buttermilk or thin yogurt

Mix flour, salt and soda. Whisk butter into buttermilk for 3 minutes or until the butter starts to form small pieces. Stir buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a floured surface and pat ¾ of an inch thick. Cut 10 biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Eggs:

6 eggs, boiled, peeled and sliced

3 cups of milk

6 Tablespoons of flour

½ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of pepper

While biscuits are cooking, whisk milk, flour, salt and pepper in a skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until milk thickens. Drop in egg slices and cook for a few minutes more until the eggs are warmed. Serve the creamed eggs over the biscuits. This is great paired with freshly boiled beets from the garden and steamed lamb’s quarter gathered from the yard.

Blueberry Crumble Cake

“I found this recipe last week on Family, Friends, & Food. I made a double batch and took one of them to potluck. Easy! I think this recipe would make good muffins, too! Yum!” – Melissa

Blueberry Crumble Cake

1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries (if using frozen, do not defrost)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg through salt. Then, fold in the blueberries. (I like to coat the blueberries in a couple tablespoons of flour before folding them into the batter. It really helps!) Pour into buttered 10-inch quiche pan.

For the topping:
Inredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together butter and sugar. Add flour and cinnamon until combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the cake batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, then bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

Rejoice! For He is Risen!

As Easter or (as I prefer to call it) Resurrection Day approaches, I thought it would be fun to share some great resources with you that you can use this Spring to celebrate all that He has done for us.

Read the Easter Story

¹In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

²And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

³His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

⁴And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

⁵And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

⁶He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

⁷And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

⁸And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

⁹And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

¹⁰Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.

¹¹Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

¹²And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,

¹³Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.

¹⁴And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.

¹⁵So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

¹⁶Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

¹⁷And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

¹⁸And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

¹⁹Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

²⁰Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28, King James Version)

A Year of Family Worship

• Memory Verse: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6
• Resurrection Cookies
• Resurrection Eggs

In the Kitchen

• Resurrection Rolls
• Parmesan  Popovers
• Lemon Pie Bars
• Lemon Snowball Cookies
• Lemon Chess Pie
• Easter Recipes
• Passover Recipes
• Bunny Cupcakes
• Jelly Bean Carrots
• Sheep Cake

In the Garden

• Free Milkweed Seeds – Help the Monarch Butterflies
• Free Seed Exchange
• How to Make a Newspaper Pot – video

Everyday Crafts

• Easter Handprint Lilies
• Easter Sheep Eggs
• Lamb Place Card Holder
• Lamb Pin

Home Education

• Easter Lapbook
• Clouds Art Show
• Watercolor Lilypads Lesson
• Easter Math Drills
• Make Your Own Easter Worksheets
• Easter Resources for Teachers

Nature Study

• Birdcall Memory Game
• Spring Nature Walk Worksheet
• Table Top Garden Worksheet
• Journey North

You can make delicious tortillas!

I’ve always wanted to know how to make tortillas. I tried lots of times but often ended up with a mess, irritable, and a few hours poorer.

Then one day I found the recipe in the cookbook by the creators of www.Lovetolearn.net and had good success. I modified their recipe recently to allow for the benefits of lactofermentation to make more of the vitamins in the wheat bioavailable. Voila! A smooth supple dough that rolled out easily, no flouring needed. The tortillas were strong and pliable and smooth textured. Hooray!

Soaked Flour Tortillas

5 cups 100% whole wheat flour (I used Montana Gold Hard White Wheat)

2 teaspoons Salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 1/4 cups raw soured milk (or place 2 Tablespoons of plain yogurt in a glass measuring cup and fill with enough warm water to yeild 2 1/4 cups.)

Use a heavy duty mixer to beat well into a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and leave overnight or about 8 hours.

Divide into 20 balls and roll each into a thin circle (7-8 inches in diameter.) Cook on a hot un-greased griddle or cast iron pan for a few minutes on each side or until bubbles form and turn brown in spots.

Tip: I roll mine out on a silicone baking sheet and a well seasoned wooden rolling pin.

Cover with a towel to keep soft.

It took me about 30 minutes to make 20 tortillas with a griddle that would hold 2 at a time. These store well frozen or in the refrigerator.

How much does it cost?

It was hard for me to find a comparable product commercially but the closest I came was sprouted wheat tortillas which were around $3.69 for 8 or $9.25 for the amount in this recipe. The homemade recipe cost is $1.76 and 30 minutes of time. If you made your own soaked wheat tortillas instead of buying them at the store it’s like making $14.98 an hour.

(If you want to know how I found how much the tortillas cost, read the paragraph below.)

On the assumption that there are 3.5 cups of flour in a pound, we need 1.5 lbs for this recipe. I buy my flour at clnf.org for 50 lbs for 25.50 or $.51 a pound. I have $.75 of flour in this recipe. Olive oil at CLNF is 16 oz for 7.25 or $.22 a Tablespoon. I have $.44 in this recipe. Real Salt is 26 oz for $5.25. Assuming .16 oz per teaspoon the cost is $.03 per teaspoon. Yogurt is $2 a quart (64 Tablespoons) at Walmart or $.06 for this recipe. I’ll assume water is free. (My raw milk is $3 a gallon or $.37 in this recipe.)

Hourly wage is found by taking what you could have spent ($9.25) minus what you did spend ($1.76) and multiplying by the factor by the time you spent to reach an hour (in this case x 2).

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