Food Budget
Food Budget
The first question to consider in looking at your food budget is this: How much do I spend a week on food? Simple question, but the answer can get complicated very easily. Let's see . . . you ran to the grocery store twice this week, ate out as a family once, had lunch with your mother-in-law once, and sent $5 with Johnny to school on Tuesday because you didn't have time to make his lunch. Then there's the pizza you ordered for your teens last weekend. And, oh, didn't you pop in to get a coffee and muffin with your friend a few days ago? Does that count as part of the food budget? | Read More . . .
How To Rescue Your (almost) Rotten Food
For worn-out potatoes, cut out the eyes and any bad spots. These make great fries.
For onions that have been sitting a loooong time, peel off the layers until they are clean and unmoldy. Chop the onions, fry with garlic in olive oil, and toss into tonight's soup.
If you see your garlic beginning to go bad, simply place the cloves, whole and unpealed, in a freezer bag and toss it into your freezer to use later.
Put your sliced cukes and carrots in a bowl of water and place in the fridge to help them last longer. Now they will be easy to use and snack on. | Read more and get the recipes!
Cheap Wine Guide
I'm a BWL--Budget Wine Lover.
Does cheap wine sound gross? Do you think of disgusting flavors of undrinkable wine? I think of drinking wine on a budget as a challenge--if I can find a beautiful bottle of wine for $10 and under, I'm livin' large. And the bigger the bottle the better!
Now I'm not the kind of Momma to hide rare, ancient wines in a special cellar. Nope, I buy it and I drink it . . . | Read more . . .
Your Frugal Freezer
Betcha never thought about a deep freeze as a Best Friend, working quietly beside you, every meal, all day long, and all through the night. Buying a deep freeze was one of the best investments I've ever made, and not just for monetary reasons.
A deep freeze isn't an appliance that costs money, takes up space, and is for the gourmet chefs or "rich" families. No, a freezer is a practical, frugal way to provide the best for your family. Your frugal freezer makes it so much easier for you and your family to eat healthier on a budget.
To save money, double your meals; use recipes that have ingredients on sale that week. For convenience, freeze the extra half to pull out later when you're short on time to make dinner or short on money to buy ingredients for a meal . . . | Read more . . .
Budget Menu Planning
Menu Planning is is tedious. For most of us, menu planning is not fun. Menu planning makes you think of Mommas who've got it all together, have perfect kids, and get their nails done a lot.
I certainly don't fit into that category! But I do menu plan out of simple necessity. My family lives on one income. That's it; there's no money coming from anywhere else so we have no choice but to make do and do well with what we have . . . | Read More . . .
Frugal Tips for a Child's Birthday Party
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. . . . The highlight of any person's childhood is the birthday parties--if they were done right. No, that doesn't mean pony rides, hired clowns, and the entire Chucky Cheese rented out for your kids unless, of course, you can afford to do that and not put a dent in your budget. Most of us, however, don't live on that side of the planet.
If you're like me, you want to throw your son or daughter the BEST party on the block, but somehow magically do that with very little money. Good news! With a little time and some creative effort, your kid and his little guests can have a whole lotta fun for not a whole lotta money. | Read More . . .
Eating Healthy On A Budget
It's always boggled my mind how "healthy" food seems so expensive . . . whole-grained bakery bread, organic meats and produce. Even some farmer's markets I find a little pricey. On the other hand, an entire frozen tv dinner is a buck. Nice.
I'm not a dietician or a nutritionist; I'm just a Momma who tries her best to cook delicious yet healthy meals on a strict food budget for her family.
My general goal in selecting food for my family is that I try to stick to . . . | Read more . . .
Entertaining, The Fun and Frugal Way
Entertaining! This word conjures up either pictures of a GREAT party or pictures of horror in your mind. --All from previous experiences, probably. Me? I tend think, "Oh my goodness, this is gonna blow my budget!"
But I should know by now that careful budget planning and inovative ideas will pull together a fun and inexpensive party.
The easiest way to plan your party is to first of all . . . | Read more . . .
Household Budget
Household Budget
A household budget is your blueprint to a happy home. Make a household budget, stick to the household budget, and your home life will be calm with no undercurrent of financial stress. A good budget will even add a spark of excitement to your home as your finances smooth out and you find yourself budgeting for bigger goals of vacations or other fun things . . . | Read more . . .
Baby Budget
Baby Budget
If you have recently had a baby, your finances have probably gone haywire. What used to work to keep your bills paid just isn't cutting it anymore.
Or are you in the decision-making process of having a baby? Trying to decide if you can afford another little one or not? Or maybe Baby is on her way and you didn't exactly plan her, but now it's time to plan the finances.
Babies are expensive! I know, I know! Below I've listed in general how a baby will change your current financial situation. The list is by no means complete, factoring in your unique financial situation . . . | Read more . . .
Essentials for Baby
So Baby's on the way? Hurray for you! And you're a smart momma, so you're thinking about the baby budget. All of Baby's essential needs should be bought from your predetermined baby budget.
First, your baby budget ought to fit neatly within your entire household budget. Second, budgeting for baby will be rewarding: once you budget for the essentials, you'll be able to budget for "extras" later on.
Preparing for Baby can be overwhelming, whether this is your first or fourth. There's so many gadgets, learning toys, cute clothes--and all of it screaming essential! There's pressure from . . . | Read more . . .
10 Frugal Baby Tips
Keeping a baby budget is a challenge! There's so many adorable outfits, cute gadgets, and must-have toys, that choosing what to buy for baby quickly gets overwhelming! But stick to a budget and keep in mind Baby's essential needs. Use your budget as a tool to work towards a big goal, such as flying to Grandma's house or buying that very cool stroller. Below is a list of tips and tricks to save you money and keep your budget on track. And you may just have a bit of fun with saving your money! | Read more . . .
Budget Baby Shower
Okay, ladies! We're gonna throw the BEST baby shower on a budget of fifty bucks. Don't worry; it won't feel like a skimpy-budget party when we're done. Whether you're throwing the celebration for yourself, a sister, co-worker, or a friend, the mother-to-be will have the perfect celebration for the arrival of her little one.
A few tips before we get started budgeting and planning our shower: First, relax! A baby shower is supposed to be fun. Don't worry if every detail doesn't go as planned. The important thing is that Momma enjoys herself and Baby gets what she needs.
Second, do plan ahead . . . | Read more . . .
Budget Printables
Food Budget Worksheets
Planning to buy a freezer, a side of beef, or throw a lavish dinner party? Use the Food Budget Worksheet #2 to plan for a big expense from your food budget. Divide the entire amount of the purchase by the number of weeks/months you want to pay it off by. For example, if you want to buy a freezer for $500, and your weekly food budget is $150, plan to take $20 from each week's food budget (which is $100 per month) for five months. You can use this system to either save the money ahead of time or to finance the purchase and make payments.
Food Budget Worksheet | Read More . . .
Household Budget Worksheet
Print 'n' Go!
Use a household budget along with the worksheet below to create or stick to your current household budget. Fill in the column on the left with the expense noted in the right column . . .
Household Budget Worksheet | View & Download
Grocery List
This printable grocery list makes homekeeping too easy!
Print out the grocery list and check off the items you need to help keep your food budget on track. Jot down details to help you remember if needed.
Printable Grocery List | View & Download
Menu Planner
This straight forward Menu Planner has many benefits. Meal planning ahead of time not only will you be organized in your meals and grocery shopping, but you will find it much easier to keep your food budget tamed.
Menu Planner | View & Download
Baby Budget Worksheet
This printable baby budget worksheet will help you get ready for Baby--in a financial way. It will help make sound financial decisions, comparing your current income and expenditures to your future ones when Baby comes.
Baby Budget Worksheet | View & Download
Baby Checksheet
Are you really ready for Baby?
Download and print this baby check list to see how ready you are. This also checksheet has many other potential uses, from deciding what to register for to what needs to be budgeted.
Baby Checksheet | View & Download
