Adjusting Our lifestyle: Living Frugally

Reposted from my other blog.  I posted this back in 2008!  I could benefit from following my own advice!

With all of the hype going on in the news about the financial crisis, I am admitting it that I am one of those "weird" people who goes a little further than most to find little ways to be frugal. I have not always been this way and I am not a huge authority, but I feel like the Lord has helped me a lot in the past couple of years to use these ideas to keep our family from going into debt.

I have gone from feelings of panic to peace.

I know I have posted about this a little bit before, but in light of the economic situation I have decided to revisit this topic a little more in-depth.

I have read most of these ideas somewhere else, but I could not tell you where since I have "studied" this subject for quite awhile. If you are interested, keep tuning in because I plan to start adding frugal tips to my blog.

Some of them may seem like "no-brainers", or something you have heard before. Yet I have been surprised by my own and others' lack of wisdom in these areas. We know what we should do, but a lot of times we just don't care, feel like it, or we don't think. Then when it comes time to pay bills, we wonder where the rest of the money went. We "nickel and dime" ourselves to death (or debt!).

My first set of frugal tips. I hope they can help someone:

*** Menu Planning & Grocery shopping***

1. Plan your menus BEFORE going grocery shopping. Here is a good menu template you can print or write out on notebook paper.
2. Look in your pantry/refrigerator and plan around what is already there and build on it. Do not waste (Use things up!). How many times have we forgotten about something only to have it go bad and then we have to throw it away. We could avoid this problem by just keeping an eye on what we have! If you have a carton of sour cream sitting on the refrigerator shelf, don't let it go bad! Make a casserole or something else to use it up. You can find lots of recipes online these days!
3. Buy in bulk. A couple of examples: I hardly ever buy canned beans and I never buy minute rice (I can hear my church friends chuckling right now.. maybe that's why they run late.. ha!). I always get the huge bags of rice and dry beans and store in a tea pitcher.
4. Start out by planning at least 2 weeks of menus and shop for at least two weeks instead of every week. You will not only save on groceries but on gas too! Work up to longer times between shopping trips. (If your kids are like mine, hide the extra stuff until time to eat it or they will try to eat it all the first week. You could even separate stuff into portion sizes baggies or containers!)
5. Try to make a couple of vegetarian meals a week. It's not that hard once you get started. You could start out with one meal and then add 2 the next time.
6. Use less meat in casseroles, soups, stir-fry, etc. Think of meat as a side dish instead of the main course. (Or go huntin' or fishin'!!!!! Woo hoo!)
7. Budget and use cash. This gives you a set amount/limit and helps cut out the impulse spending. If you have money left over, open a savings account or place it in an envelope for the next week.
6. Cook in bulk and freeze leftovers. I don't do the once-a-month cooking, but I do try to cook extra every evening so that I can have left-overs for lunches or the freezer for something quick in a pinch. Maybe one of these days I'll get brave enough to cook a month's worth of meals. I do cook bulk breakfasts and freeze though. This is a big benefit for me since I am not a morning person!

I am not "the queen" in these areas, but they are areas I am working on.

Let me know if you can add anything to the list!

Baking & Saving Money

It's the first year I have had the opportunity to plant a large garden, and I have enjoyed it so much.  It's time-consuming, but very rewarding.  I have the mindset that as a stay-at-home wife & mother, that I need to do whatever I can to help the family economy.  Part of that means gardening & baking from scratch.  Those two things do so much to save money.

Today I made butternut squash pies using pie crust from the freezer recipe I found online, and I also substituted powdered milk for canned evaporated milk.  Those links are below.  I recommend printing them and placing them in a recipe binder.

From Pantry Eats:  "Stocking Up.  Bulk Freezer Pie Crust Recipe". <----click

This is so economical because it costs pennies and you can have several in the freezer for quiche & pies!
The only thing I did differently was that instead of making "bricks", I rolled the pie crust out like I normally would, and then rolled it up like you find it at the grocery store. 

From Hillbilly Housewife:  " Saving Money with Powdered Milk"  <------click

I used powdered milk instead of buying cans of evaporated milk.  Much more economical!   

Green Enchilada Sauce (from garden peppers)

Enchilada sauce using banana peppers and green onions from the garden.

What you need:

• 2 or 3 cups (or more) of beef broth (I made mine using roast drippings)
• about 2 handfuls of sliced & seeded green peppers (I used banana peppers, but you could use any type of  pepper)
• a handful of diced green onions
• salt, pepper, onion powder(TBsp), garlic powder(TBsp), & cumin (about a tablespoon) to taste
• cornstarch

Boil the peppers & green onions in the broth & seasonings until tender.  Remove the peppers and onions with a slotted spoon.   Stir about 2 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch into 1 cup of cold water until dissolved.  While the broth is boiling, add the cornstarch mixture.  Use a whisk or a fork whisk the cornstarch until you get a nice gravy. 

Use this sauce to top enchiladas.

Click here for a good enchilada recipe.  You can replace the cream of chicken soup in the recipe with this sauce.

Tater Tot Casserole

Tater Tot Casserole

1 pound of ground beef
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 bag of frozen tater tots

Brown ground beef and drain.  Mix in can of cream of mushroom soup (can add a little milk to help consistency).  Spread in a casserole dish (9x13).  Sprinkle top of meat mixture with cheese.  Top with frozen tater tots.  Bake according to tater tot directions. 

Some recipes say to bake for 30-45 minutes, but I find that if the meat is already hot when you put it in the oven, the most important thing is getting the tater tots done.  If the tater tots are done and meat mixture is bubbling, then it is perfect.

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Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup

Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup




Makes: 14 cups



2 (6 oz.) packages of long-grain and wild rice mix

10 cups chicken broth, divided

3 Tbsp. butter

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup half-and-half

2 Tbsp. dry white wine

2 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts

Garnishes: Fresh parsley leaves, freshly cracked pepper



1. Bring rice, 4 cups chicken broth, and 1 seasoning packet from rice mix to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. (reserve remianing seasoning packet for another use)

2. Meanwhile, melt 3 Tbsp. butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and celery and cook, stirring often, 10-12 minutes or until tender.

3. Mlet 1/4 cup butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute, or until thickened and bubbly. Gradually whisk in remaining 6 cups of broth, and cook, stirring often 8-10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Whisk in half-and-half and wine. Stir in mushroom mixture, chicken, and rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes or until throughly heated. (Do not boil) Garnish if desired.

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad

1 Tablespoon of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of sour cream
4 1/2 cups of thinly sliced, peeled cucumbers
3 Tablespoons of onion, grated (I use about a teaspoon of onion powder instead)
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar

Blend together sugar, salt, sour cream, onion, and vinegar in a bowl.  Add cucumbers and mix well.  Cover, and chill at least 2 hours.

Creamy Taco

This is a great company dish (One of Michael's favorites; passed down to me by his mother).
I recommend serving it with a salad or a vegetable tray.


1 pound of ground beef (or a leaner version.  I use venison!)
1 onion, chopped (or diced dry onions or a teaspoon of onion powder)
seasoning - salt, pepper, & chili powder (to taste)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of pet milk (evaporated milk)  Note: I usually just substitute with regular milk, pouring in about 1/2 cup.
1/2 can of green chiles, diced
1 dozen tortillas (torn into pieces)
2 cups of grated cheese

Spray or coat a 9x13 pan with a light coating of oil. 

Brown beef & onion along with seasonings.  Drain well.  Add soups, milk, and green chiles to make a medium thick gravy.  Place layers of tortillas (about 3 layers), meat, onions, & gravy.  Top with cheese.

Bake @ 350 degrees for at least 30 minutes.  Makes 6-8 servings.