Week One - No Spend

So this month I am doing a No Spend January/Eat from your Pantry.  If you want the specifics on what that means, go here to my previous post.  In essence, I am only spending $150 on groceries this month for my family of 7, when we normally would spend about $150.00 a week.

Before starting I did stock up on frozen veggies, milk, eggs and bread, which went into the freezer.  I made one trip to the grocery store this past week and struck gold, while only spending $26.00.

One of our family's favorite fruits is strawberries.  When I buy them, we can go through a pound or two at a sitting.  I am pretty picky about price and will not spend more than $2.50 per pound.  When I went to the commissary before starting this challenge, one pound of strawberries was $4.99.  That's ridiculous to me!!  I opted out on that purchase at the time.  But when I ran to the store this week, they had two pound packages of strawberries for $1.99.  YES!!!

This is cheaper than frozen berries right now.  So I took advantage of the sale and stocked up.  I bought 14 pounds of berries.  I forgot to take a picture before we washed, ate, cut, froze and dipped strawberries in chocolate.  They were YUMMY!

31 Things to Do Instead of Spending Money

Since this month is a no spend money, I thought I would look up some fun things that could be done each day instead of wanting to go shopping or out and spend money.

1. Invite a friend over for coffee or tea.
2. Wash your car at home.
3. Have a movie marathon with friends.
4. Go to the library.
5. Organize your drawer or closet.
6. Take a nap.
7. Listen to a podcast.
8. Play a board game.
9. Go on a bike ride.
10. Take a walk.
11. Go for a drive and get lost.
12. Bake something.
13. Write a letter to an old friend.
14. Have a bonfire.
15. Paint your nails.
16. Plant or weed your garden.
17. Rearrange your furniture.
18. Gaze at the stars.
19. Create a bucket list.
20. Make a monthly meal plan.
21. Get rid of clutter and donate it.
22. Go to a park and swing on the swings.
23. Read a book.
24. Call a friend you haven't spoken to in a while. 
25. Watch an old favorite TV show on YouTube.
26. Try a new hairstyle.
27. Prepare a bag to give to the homeless.
28. Organize your refrigerator.
29. Go on a hike.
30. Visit with family or friends.
31. Count your blessings.

Random Acts of Kindness 2015

Joni, a blogger at FreeTastesGood,  is encouraging people to go into the 2015 doing  365 Days of Kindness by performing a random act of kindness everyday.  She is posting videos to give ideas of what you can do to bless others.  Check out her first video.

Eat from the Pantry/No Spend January

Last year my sister and I decided to go for one month with no spending above the minimal needs of our family.  We each had different reasons for wanting to do this but both of us decided make a commitment for the month of January.  My goal was to only spend $150.00 on groceries for the family, mainly purchasing fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy.  This is not much considering our monthly family grocery budget is about $700.00.  

I have decided to do this again for January 2015.  Would you like to join me?

Eating from the Pantry means that we eat the food that is already in our pantry and freezer, while only purchasing the bare essentials.  No spending means.... no eating out, picking up Starbucks, or buying that cute sweater that only costs $5.00 with a sale and coupon.  

The things that are NOT included in our no spend month are:

·                     Rent/Mortgage

·                     Utilities

·                     Tithe

·                     Insurance

·                     Gasoline

·                     Education (both my husband and daughter are in college)

Last year when I mentioned what I was doing on Facebook, some of my friends replied that they would starve, that there is no way that they could eat from their pantry.   I may have an advantage over someone who does not enjoy shopping, cooking or using coupons to save money.  Since my sister and I both have larger families, I have 5 kids and she has 6,  we normally buy things in larger quantities at SAM's Club or even stockpile for our families anyway.  While I keep a cupboard full of things we eat in the kitchen, I also have pantry in the basement.  I always have an extra one or more of many items in my basement pantry.  For example, while I have ketchup, mustard, PB and jelly in my kitchen, I also have at least one more in my basement pantry.  This is just how we roll.  I never want to be stuck without something I might need.

Here is a picture of my basement pantry.  I organized it just for you J

 You may be thinking there is no way you can do a month eating mainly what you have in your house.  Let me challenge you to try a week.  If you normally spend $100 on groceries a week, try getting creative with your meals, digging back into your cupboard and using things that you didn't know were there and only spend $25.00 on your groceries.  Also, see how long you can go without buy stuff.  You know what I'm talking about, not needs but wants.   Pepsi at the Dollar Tree...Starbucks coffee...Papa John's pizza....Chinese takeout.  I guess you can see where we like to put our money (though I am not the coffee drinker in our house).  

I will begin this challenge on January 1, 2015, just a few days away.  As I look at my freezer and pantry, I will probably make a run to the store to get a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies and a few more pounds of chicken before Thursday.  If my kids want to spend their Christmas money during January on something, I won’t stop them as I am not forcing them to participate in this challenge with their personal money, but don’t ask me to go out to lunch or shopping, as I’ll have to ask you to reschedule until February.

Happy Saving!!

Remembering Fort Hood - Repost from November 2009

Tragedy at Fort Hood

I have been struggling with what to post...whether or not to post. We live on post here at Fort Hood. We were home last Thursday when the events unfolded at the SRP building, just over a mile away. Normally on Thursdays, we are usually off post for a homeschool co-op, but co-op had ended just the week before and we were home. Our plans for last Thursday included an afternoon playdate and dinner out with the girls. At approximately 2:20PM, as we were loading up the mini-van with meals for pregnant friends, returns to the department store and kids and their jackets, the emergency sirens here on post began to go off. I looked at my watch and thought...that's strange, they ususally test the system on Wednesdays at 12:00 Noon. The announcement that followed the sirens was " Seek shelter immediately, stay away from doors and windows". I looked up at the sky and thought, I don't know why they are saying that, it's a bright and sunny day, I don't see any storms let alone a possible tornado. A neighbor across the way yelled out her front door, "get inside and lock your doors." So I attempted to take my kids out of their car seats...as they kicked and screamed, wanting to get in the car and go to their friends house to play. As I reached the front door, my oldest handed me the phone. It was a friend who lived in a nearby town, asking if I had heard the news...there was a shooting on Fort Hood at the Readiness Center, seven people had been killed. We finished the phone call, got everyone into the house and closed and locked all the doors and shut the curtains and blinds. As I turned on the TV, it was all over the news. There was so much speculation going around, I didn't know what was truth and what was rumor. Was there another gunman out there?

As we tried to occupy ourselves in our quiet dark home, I prayed for the safety of my family. Phone calls, emails, text messages and facebook comments kept popping up and coming in. For the next five hours, until lockdown was lifted, I learned to trust in the protection of the Lord. People prayed with me on the phone and prayers were lifted up for us by friends far away. The days prior to and including Thursday, my quiet time with the Lord, included a devotional book titled, "Faith Deployed; Daily Encouragment for Military Wives". I had just read a devotion entitled, Already Written. A quote from that devotional says, "Whether they are home or abroad, God's plan for us is already written; we cannot do anything to change it!" The next day's devotional was on "The Sting of Death". How timely were these devotions in my quiet time last week. I had no idea for what the Lord was preparing me. I did not lose anyone in the attack that took place on Fort Hood on November 5th, but many people did or they knew someone who was there. I need to be ready to respond to those who are lost and hurting, with a meal, a hug, a kind word. We are called to bring hope to the hopeless. I want to always be ready to meet the need that I am confronted with, no matter what that need may be.

My husband's unit lost a soldier in the tragic shooting last week. I had never met her but Angel knew her. He described her as "a wonderful and delightful person." Please continue to pray for my husband's unit as they mourn the loss of one of their own here at home.

I need to remember that we live in a fallen and sinful world. Without Christ, people are lost. I pray that in the midst of this tragedy, that those who are hurting find comfort and hope...that they find healing for their hurts. That they find a relationship with the true God.

Dating your Spouse

A friend of mine and my husband from college asked us to review his ebook last week before he published it.  It's called "Take Your Marriage from Good to Great One Date at a Time".  Here is the review I wrote for Amazon.

When my husband and I met over 20 years ago, we spent a lot of time getting to know each other, hanging out and going on dates. After we married and started having children, our dates became fewer and less frequent. Now with five children, busy schedules, military training and/or deployment, we don't date as much as we could to enhance our marriage. Our life has become about the kids and their needs while putting ours on hold.

This book came at a good time. It's a quick and easy read with lots of great practical information. It takes you back to the basics and the things most married couples did once upon a time. It is filled with creative ideas that don’t have to cost lots of money but will enhance and encourage your relationship with your spouse. I can’t wait to implement these ideas and start moving our good marriage to a great one.

This is a great book and it's FREE today!

End of No Spend January

Whew, January was a long month!  I am so grateful that it is over.  Our family did really well at the beginning of the month.  I was determined to stay within the $150.00 grocery budget for our family of 7.  By mid month, we were holding on with only having spent about $70.00.  Not bad... less than half our budget at the half way point.  But things got really hard during the last week of the month.

I will say that I did go over the $150.00 budget.  I am not exactly sure how much we went over but that last week really got me. I probably spent just over $200.00 on groceries for the month.  One of the reasons for going over the budget is that I ended up having to buy baby food.  I just assumed that the baby would eat regular foods and many of them she would not.  I probably spent about $25.00 alone on baby food.  I didn't realize how much it cost and that she would be eating so much.  But at 53 cents a jar, and 3 to 4 jars a day, it adds up. 

While we went over our projected food budget, I am happy to say that we did NOT spend money on eating out or on anything else that was not a fixed expense (such as rent, utilities, insurances).

Until this challenge, I never realized how easy it was for me to just buy something because I wanted it or it was there.  If I wanted to purchase something to do a project or organize an area of the house, I would just buy it.  If someone needed something such as new socks or underwear, I'd go to the store and get it. While some of those things may have been needed, they were not emergencies that needed to be purchased right away and could wait.

I'll admit that I really do LOVE a good sale and the after Christmas sales were really hard for me because by the time January rolled around, Christmas clearance was over 75% at most places.  One of the pitfalls of watching people post on Facebook is knowing what I was missing. 

For me to stay true to my No Spend January, I need to avoid going any place that I might be tempted to spend money.  I did not make any unnecessary trips to stores and even sent my husband to do some shopping for me.

I am blessed beyond measure and this month of no spending reminded me how blessed I am. 

Some of you have asked if it was worth it....YES!!! And I think I will do it again another month this year!.  Sometimes when we deprive ourselves, we realize that we didn't really need that item anyway or that we can take what we would normally buy ourselves and bless someone else.   This happened to me in January too! While I won't go into detail, I was able to use the money I didn't spend on myself to help someone else.

Was it hard?  YES!!  It took discipline not to eat out, run to the Dollar Tree for a measly little item or throw extra stuff in the shopping cart that I didn't NEED. F you remember my starting post, I have quite a stocked pantry as it is.   I learned that I can live without some things. I can spend less and still have my basic needs met. I can give and bless others instead of filing my pockets with more.