Tackle It Tuesday – Entrance Mat

I have a few things on my to-do list today, but the one thing I really want to get done is to put our new mat in the entrance.  Yep, that’s it, just the mat down and entrance cleaned 🙂

Meal Plan Mondays

With 4 growing boys (yes, husband included), I try my very best to make meals that taste good, are cost efficient, and are easy to make.  I use items that are in my freezer and pantry first, before shopping for new items.

• This week’s meal plan is as follows:
• Monday – hamburger & mushroom rice
• Tuesday – lasagna, with cheddar rice balls
• Wednesday – roasted chicken pizza (frozen, on sale)
• Thursday –  spaghetti & hamburger casserole
• Friday – rice, veggie & egg stir fry

I’ve been watching Gordon Ramsay’s cookery course, and will be trying to come out of my shell in the kitchen.  I have very little confidence when it comes to making food, and I’d like that to change.

Financial Freedom Friday

Today’s Financial Freedom Friday tip is for all you parents…baby food.  It’s an expensive necessity if you buy it at the store, whereas making your own baby food is less expensive, and you know exactly what your child is eating.  You control the ingredients and consistency of each meal, and you can put meals together without having opened baby food jars in the refrigerator.  My little guy is just under 6 months, so this baby food thing is quickly becoming a big part of my life.  The steps for making your own baby food are simple.

1. make a meal for your family
2. set some aside without spices
3. puree non-spiced food with blender
4. pour blended food into an ice cube tray
5. put food ice cubes into Zip-lock baggie
6. label baggies with food and date

Using this method, you’re saving money, space, being environmentally friendly, and health conscious in regard to what your baby is eating.

Weight Loss Wednesday – Stay

No gain or loss this week – still 162.5lbs, which is alright.  I’m still hoping to get below the 160 mark, but in time 🙂  Fall is actually my most active season.  Having sluggish thyroid function, I’m sensitive to any rais in my body temperature, and then come the sweats.  It’s totally gross, but autumn offers relief, as it’s usually cool and dry out.  This is the time of year I’m out and about – going for walks, playing in the park with my boys, etc.  So here’s hoping the cool whether holds up 🙂

Tackle It Tuesday – Fall Clean

I’ve decided to begin my fall clean for today’s Tackle.  I’m beginning with my dining room and Kayden’s nursery.  We’ll see where it takes me 🙂  I’ll try to remember to post pics asap.

Meal Plan Monday – Welcome!

As you can see, there’s been a bit of a change to Minimalist Monday 🙂  With 3 active boys, I’ve been feeling like a bit of a failure when it comes to being a minimalist.  The timing is perfect, as I’ve recently begun meal planning.  So welcome to Meal Plan Monday!  It’s a great way to save money and keep my family healthy at the same time 🙂  I only meal plan from Monday to Friday, as we will be having leftovers or restaurant meals on weekends.  So having a place to write out my weekly lists is wonderful.  Here’s this weeks meal plan:

Monday – lasagna (homemade, from freezer)
Tuesday – pork roast with potatoes & carrots
Wednesday – hamburger/spaghetti casserole
Thursday – farmer sausage casserole
Friday – roasted chicken pizza (from freezer)

Our grocery bill this week was $42.  I was aiming for $30, but some extra things like flavored water, raisin bread and english muffins ended up in the cart some how 🙂  Of course I’m not placing blame, but I don’t do the shopping… 🙂

Financial Freedom Friday – Steps 1, 2 and 3

Welcome to Financial Freedom Friday.  This is the first post for this category.  I’m trying to fill each day with some sort of goal, but I don’t want it to be just anything, so it’s taking me a while 🙂  And as it may becoming obvious to you, I like my titles to start with the same letters – Minimalist Monday, Tackle It Tuesday, Weight Loss Wednesday, and now Financial Friday.  It’s a bit of a hangup I have 🙂

What does financial freedome mean to you?  To me it means that money is not a stress in my life, but rather a conveniant way to enjoy life while being responsible in our obligations and priorities.

The first step Mike and I took in this plan was to get a financial adviser and software so that we could gain vital knowledge, and see our finances in black and white.  This has been an amazing decision, and worked so great for us.  The software was expensive, but completely worth it.  We can put in different situations and see how it will affect our finances, and then conclude weather or not to go through with it or not.

Our second step is meal planning. I have to give credit to the ladies I share Girls Night with.  They cook for their families, and have inspired me to do the same.  This is something I just started at the beginning of the week, but it’s going pretty well so far, and saves on our grocery bill.  Normally, we just shop for stuff we like, and as I’m a terrible cook, most of it is pre-packaged stuff, which is expensive and unhealthy.  Meal Planning means that I already know what ingredients I’ll NEED, and we don’t have to get the other pre-packaged stuff, because there’s no need for it.  This past week, my meals included the following:

Our third step has been the most recent.  As I said, I’m a terrible cook, and due to my vision, I don’t do the grocery shopping.  So Mike goes to the grocery store an average of 3 times a week.  For this reason, we spend about $160 each week just on food, which is ridiculous, and has to stop!  We’re a family of 5, so as the boys grow, our grocery bills are bound to increase, but for now, my goal is to keep it at $50 a week.  It sounds impossible, and Mike’s skeptical, but I’m going to do my very best to meet the challenge 🙂  Last Friday our bill was $60, and it being Friday, it’s time to writ out the shopping list again.  It’s surprisingly short, as I have been meal planning and cooking from scratch 🙂  I’m guessing today’s grocery bill will be about $30, if not less 😀