Free Stuff Friday

A few freebies are being given away today. The first is a 'give away'. You never know if you just might win. The second one on prayer is free to everyone. It's an audio download of prayers from the Old and New Testament with other prayers not found in scripture such as The Serenity Prayer.

Enjoy!


The Baker's Illustrated Bible Handbook

Prayers: A Personal Selection

Waste Not Wednesday: Tomato Paste

I rarely use an entire can of tomato paste in a recipe but hate to throw food away. So, I dallop a tablespoon at a time onto a piece of wax paper and then stick it in the freezer. Once it's frozen I place the tablespoons of paste into a plastic bag.

I like to keep the bag on the door of the freezer so I can easily find it. This morning I started a pot of beef stew and needed just a tablespoon of tomato paste. It peeled easily off the waxed paper and was so convenient.  Better yet, I didn't have to open up a new can.

When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.”John 6:12

Is dental care possible on a low income?

Dental insurance on a low income is not impossible... unless you want a 'good' policy. :-) Last year I paid for a dental plan that was less than $10 a month. It was a horrible plan which paid a very small amount of the bill. The dental office that took our policy had higher prices than the average office so I cancelled our policy.

I've been taking a small amount of money out of each check to save for dental work.  I knew  I could not save enough to pay for our yearly cleanings so I started looking for another option.

I discovered through my research that colleges with dental school programs sometimes offer discounted work. I checked out the closest university and discovered they had a dental program for dental hygienists and dentists. I called and sure enough they offered discounted prices for cleanings, fillings and just about any kind of dental work.

My first appointment lasted 3 hours which was longer than I had planned. I was assigned a young lady who took my health history and did an oral cancer screening. She then took xrays of my entire mouth. You could tell that she was not experienced but her professor was available to help her through the process. There was a problem with the xray machine so it's not totally her fault that it took so long.

The dental school program quoted $133 for the xrays and consultation. I knew that was high but figured I'd make up for it because the 'deep cleaning' would only cost $48 per quadrant compared to the $175 my dentist quoted. I have another appointment in October to start the deep cleaning. It sounds like they will do one quadrant per visit. A dentist will also look at my xrays and given an evaluation.

I had no idea what to expect but it actually wasn't a bad experience at all. There were quite a few people getting their teeth cleaned. The office was clean and bright and the instructors were very, very nice. The young lady was gentle. I'm a bit nervous about the deep cleaning being done by a non-professional but I'll continue to tell myself that I'll be getting better care than most people do in other countries. It's either this or no cleaning at all. I choose to be thankful.

I'll continue to do my part at home by daily flossing and 2 minute brushings. :-)

I'll keep you updated.

Gift Giving on Less Income

Gift giving was always very important to my family when I was growing up. Mother taught my sister and I to crochet and knit simple projects while we were in elementary school. We used those skills to make gifts for Christmas.  My sister and I learned to crochet borders around dishcloths and made them into lovely potholders and we knitted house slippers and a myriad of other craft projects. I couldn't wait until I turned 12 because Mother promised she would teach me to sew.

Those skills came in very handy the first 15 years of married life.  I made the majority of gifts for family members and a lot of gifts for my children since we didn't have much money left after our bills were paid.

I stopped making gifts when I started my own home business. It was just too much stress. But, this year's circumstances find me in a place where I'm picking up those long ago learned skills to help stretch my gift budget again. 

 I've been crocheting dishcloths while I sit with Miss Alice in the evenings.  I also keep a crochet project in my purse (and a book) to work on if I'm stuck in a long line. Last week I nearly finished a dishcloth while waiting in the doctor's office. I also crochet or knit in the evenings after my work is finished for the day.

I went through my material bins and found some unfinished projects to sew. I finished a retro apron yesterday. I have enough material to make one more.

Every time I can save money by doing the work myself then I consider it the same as if I earned money at a part time job. Except the wonderful thing is that I didn't have to leave my home to do it. :-) Stretching my gift budget by sewing or crocheting saves money which helps our income go just a little bit farther.

It feels good to have a head jump on Christmas. Do you have any Christmas projects started?

Seasonal Shopping

I hope you've been taking advantage of the 'back to school' sales even if you don't have children at home. I wait until August to purchase my office supplies for the year when they are at their lowest. Did you know that there is a yearly list that shows what is on sale each month? If you know you'll be making certain purchases you'd be wise to wait until the month it goes on sale.

I normally wait and stock up on Christmas baking supplies in November right before Thanksgiving.  I also like to purchase a few extra hams at that time. I've waited to purchase sheets in January and buy next years Christmas wrapping supplies the day after Christmas at the dollar stores when they go on sale for .50 cents.

Planning ahead can save you a lot of money. What months do you stock up?

JANUARY
• After Christmas Sales
• White Sales (sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and quilts)
• Sports and Weight Loss Equipment
• Computers
• Winter Apparel and Accessories 
(In years past, when I had more money, I would watch for Prime Rib right before New Year's Eve)

FEBRUARY
• Electronics, radios, C.D. players
• Floor Coverings
• Housewares, china, glassware,
• Furniture, rugs, mattresses, curtains
• Candy and Chocolates

MARCH
• Spring Apparel and Accessories, shoes
• Winter Sports Equipment, skates, ski equipment
• Gardening Supplies
• Luggage
• Frozen Food

APRIL
• Spring Apparel and Accessories, men's and boys suits
• Women and children's coats and hats
• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Jewish Foods and Eggs,

MAY
• White Sale - Linens and Towels
• Spring Cleaning Supplies
• Auto Maintenance
• Home Maintenance
• Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments 


JUNE
• Summer Apparel and Accessories
• Pianos
• Television Sets, refrigerators
• Building Materials. lumber and Hardware
• Dairy Products

JULY
• Air Conditioners, home appliances, radios and stereo equipment
• Summer Sports Equipment
• Sportswear, bathing suits, lingerie
• Craft Supplies
• Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments 

AUGUST
• White Sale - Linen and Towels
• BBQ and Patio Equipment
• Back to School Supplies
• Bathing Suits
• Fresh Fish and Vegetables

SEPTEMBER
• Back to School Supplies and children's clothing
• Gardening Supplies
• Housewares, dishes, glassware, lamps, paints, rugs and carpet
• Bicycles
• Canned Goods 

OCTOBER
• Cars
• Houses
• Fishing Equipment
• Crystal, Silver, and Glassware
• Candy
 
NOVEMBER
• Winter Apparel and Accessories, shoes
• Quilts and Blankets
• Heating Devices, water heaters
• Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Baking Goods


DECEMBER
• Toys
• Gift Items
• Partyware
• Post-Holiday Sales
• Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meats 


 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it. Proverbs 21:20

Bugdet: Allowances (for adults)

 When my husband and I were running our businesses (before he became disabled) we found it difficult to set up a budget. I tried to keep most of our bills as low as I could but because we were self-employed our income varied from month to month making it difficult to budget. But, since he became disabled our income is pretty much fixed. One benefit is that I know how much is coming in each month and can budget accordingly.

The best advice I received concerning a budget is to assign an allowance for both husband and wife. We would have saved ourselves a lot of fussing in the early years of our marriage if we had followed this advice.

I've allowed $40 a month in the budget for each of us. We both love having an allowance because:

- An allowance allows us to buy something special.
- An allowance helps us not feel deprived from a restrictive budget. (we're spoiled Americans!)
- We can save our allowance for bigger purchases that could not otherwise be afforded.

This past week I spent my $20 allowance on a haircut. I've been cutting my own hair and imposing on friends and family to give it a whack for nearly 2 years. It was long overdue for an even trim. I've also used my allowance to spend extra on the grands birthday gifts, purchase new clothing and a 'girls day out'.

An allowance cuts down on the temptation to argue over money. When one spouse thinks a decision to spend money in a certain area cannot be afforded then an allowance could be used.

An allowance is not just for kids! :-) 

I'm thankful for my allowance!

Use it up!

Time to fess up! I went off my food budget this past month. After 1 1/2 years of counting every penny to stay within $200 a month I let loose after the news came that my husband had received permanent disability. So... now that I've had my fun it's back on budget again.

I considered raising our food budget to $300 a month to add more fruit and veggies to our diet (and I still may). But, for the time being I decided to continue trying to keep it under $200 as long as I can provide healthy meals. I figure if I shoot for $200 and go over just a bit I'll still be ahead of the game.

My goal this next week is to not buy any groceries. Instead I'm going to shop from my pantry, fridge and freezer. I have 2 fridges with freezers and both are very full which means that I have been over buying. Tomorrow I will go through my freezer meats to plan my weekly menu. Food has a feature where you can plug in the ingredients you have on hand and it will display recipes you could use. Look next to the search engine at the top of the page where it has a drop down menu and choose 'ingredients'. This tool helps when you are shopping from your pantry and fridge.

I'm also concentrating on leftovers because I have been wasting food which is the same as throwing money away. They seem to get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten until the following week when I clean out the fridge.  I had some canned chilies left over from a Chile Rellenos casserole I made earlier in the week. I decided to keep them in plain view so they wouldn't get lost in the fridge. I added some to the low carb chicken enchiladas I made today and then made another Chile Rellenos casserole for lunch or breakfast. Boy, did I stretch those babies. :-)

 This week I tried a broccoli stuffed chicken recipe. The recipe sounded so good but flunked my husband's taste test. I didn't want to throw away the remaining chicken  so I scraped off the stuffing and reused the chicken in the enchiladas. I was able to save the chicken and stretch it into another meal. Kewl! :-)

I know I can do better at stretching my food budget if I stay on top of the food I bring into my home by not allowing it to go to waste. That involves concentrated effort.