Settling in

February 10, 2015

Settling in

Life with four children is getting a little easier everyday. I'm slowly learning to take it easy and to handle one thing at a time. Even though it's getting easier, I constantly struggle with being the mom God wants me to be. I raise my voice, get angry and run out of patience way too much. But God gives me grace and I try harder the next day. I know I'll never be perfect but I want so much for the kids to see a little glimpse of Christ through me.

The main reason I'm writing today is to share a little about our new budget cut. We have recently cut our grocery/toiletries budget by $250! I'm ashamed to admit that we were spending over $650 a month (if not more). Now we are spending $400 a month (4 weeks, not a calendar month because we get paid bi-weekly.) I want to add that Jason and I are on a low carb diet so the $400 a month is even harder to stick to. But we are doing it. I can't wait until I have a few months experience to share but right now I can say that it is actually working.

The first thing I have to do is make a list of our favorite breakfasts, lunches and dinners and snacks. Then I make a menu for the whole month. The reason I do the whole month is so I can buy in bulk. After that, I highlight the things we need on my master grocery list. Then I look at my favorite stores' prices and decide where I'll buy what. When I'm buying I try to but things that won't expire before the end of the four weeks, if I can't freeze them.

To stay on budget and eat healthier most of our meals are mainly from scratch. Many of them can be frozen. So if I have them on the menu more than once, I'll double or triple the recipe and freeze. The kids drink smoothies every morning. To save on the ingredients I bought bulk bananas, spinach and I used blueberries I had frozen from last summer. I sliced all the bananas. Then I divided all the ingredients into 20+ daily servings and put them in sandwich bags. I then put 6 or so in freezer bags and froze them. This way I don't have to worry about the produce going bad. I also started making the kid's chicken nuggets, sandwich bread, soups and snacks from scratch. It's not as hard as it sounds. Thank you Pinterest! When I make dinner each evening, I save a portion for Jason's lunch the next day.

In short, saving money is hard work. But $250 a month can go a long way in getting rid of debt. We started the Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsay last month. I know how many people feel about Dave Ramsay, but I know without a doubt that God meant for us to take this course at this particular time. I'm so excited to see what God is going to do with us.

Until next time!

-Donna