I redid my menu/grocery list last night to incorporate two meatless meals per week (we decided on veggie pizza and breakfast for dinner). It did take some time, but I estimated that it would save us $8 per week! Boy, was it worth it!
We also have Adon's birthday party next weekend, for which we need to buy food. I rummaged through my pantry to use what we already have on hand and added to my list the rest of the items. While I was laying in bed last night trying to go to sleep, God began showing me other ways I could save His money. My dad is making chicken wings and ravioli for the party, so of course we need sauce to go with them. Instead of buying honey mustard and marinara sauce....I'm going to make my own! I found (what looks like) a good recipe for the honey mustard, which would require me to buy nothing! Looking for the recipe brought back some fond MoBap memories of mixing my own honey mustard in the cafeteria to go with fries or on one of Joe's famous chicken patties. :o) I also found a recipe for marinara sauce, which is bound to be cheaper than buying it pre-made (although I'll make sure it is cheaper before I buy the ingredients)! All I'd have to buy is some tomatoes and some onions.
I'm also going to comparison shop the veggies for our veggie tray between Aldi's (they have surprisingly good produce) and our local produce stand, to get the best price. I know all of this will take some extra time, but like I said...I'm on a mission to stick to our grocery budget.
You might be asking, "Why now? What's changed?" Well, through teaching our Crown Financial Ministries Sunday School class, Jer and I are learning/being reminded of things we haven't been practicing. This week's lession reminded us that God owns everything...including the money we thought was ours. If I were spending my Dad's money, I'd be sure to get him the best deal...so why should I be any different with my Heavenly Father's money? To get into the habit of asking before we buy ANYTHING, J and I are putting little notes on our credit/debit cards reminding us to ask God if what we're purchasing is something worthy of His money. We feel we've been good stewards for the most part, but we know we have a lot of room to improve.
I'll let you know about the success of the mision after I do my grocery shopping this week!
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3 comments:
You know I feel the struggles everday with food, medical bills, just everyday needs with my children, I just want to say that if you are struggling that bad why are you buying food for three animals that are locked in the basement or outside? You can use that money for extra grocery's or even a date night for you, just think if you are struggling with 1 child imagine having 4 more, it's not going to be any easier,and like what I am going through medicine isnt cheap.
Anonymous -
Though we thought we were frugal, we are learning more about responsibly managing the money God's given us. To answer your question, we've tried to find a good home for our cats, but have not had any success. The shelters are overcrowded and won't take them, and perhaps if they did, they would be euthanized. In the meantime, we're watching for sales and using coupons to get their food as cheap as possible.
I'm hesitant to take on the struggling mentality, because I know that God will always provide for our needs. We've seen Him do it over and over again. Sometimes, however, we learn that God determines our needs differently than we do. We're learning from our mistakes, and trust God's grace to cover us as we move forward. We are desperate to honor God in every area of our lives, especially with His money, but it's a process.
God says that children are a blessing and that He'll provide for all of His children. So we're not worried if we have two children, ten children, or God-willing, more. We are trusting God to provide for every child he blesses us with. I'm sorry to hear of your struggle and that your children have health conditions requiring expensive medicine. We'll be praying for the health of your family.
Annie
Hey Annie!
Ramen noodles are CHEAP! They're usually about 10 cents a package so that's a great starting off point for a recipe.
If you do a search for "ramen noodle recipes" you'll find a ton of sites to search from. I saw one that said "dirt-cheap ramen noodle recipes" or something to that extent. I've had several recipes before with ramen noodles and they're good.
--Kathy
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