Baby Shower Gifts on a Tight Budget

I had a baby shower coming up this month for a sweet niece. I wanted to give her a nice gift but was concerned how to manage since I haven't been working my regular hours. Gift giving on a tight budget has always been a challenge for me. I probably lack faith in this area and need to pray about it more. I tend to fret over what to give and if it's a nice enough  instead of consistently praying for the Lord to provide and then being thankful for His provision. He always has provided so why do I fret?

I started wondering how I was going to find the money for a gift when I remembered a post by a sweet friend April who had made some lovely baby shower gifts.  She generously shared a few ideas which I loved. I ended up making some burp rags and a few bibs which still didn't seem like enough. But, then I remembered that I had accumulated quite a few Swagbucks and had traded in some of those Swagbucks for a gift card from Amazon. Ahhh.. bingo!

I do a lot of searches online so Swagbucks is an easy way to make some extra cash. I've downloaded their button on my tool bar so it's convenient when I need to do a quick search. You can also earn extra bucks for surveys, referring friends,etc.

Anyway.. the Lord has provided again! Jehovah Jireh, my Provider!

Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”  Genesis 22:14

Jehovah Jireh means, "The Lord sees" or the "Lord provides".

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Homemade Wheat Thins

I'm always evaluating my grocery budget to see where I can cut expenses. Snacks are one food item that I need to cut back on. My husband likes crackers so when I found this recipe I thought it might be part of the answer I'm looking for.  Anytime I can make something from scratch the better!  I made a batch this morning and they turned out great! The ingredients are items I always have on hand. I didn't price it out but I'm confident it definitely didn't cost me $2.50-$3.00! The recipe makes enough to last a few weeks and the recipe was easy and quick.

Ingredients:

Serves about 13 dozen crackers.(I didn't get nearly this many).

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• additional salt for topping (Optional)

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt and paprika in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into pieces and mix it thoroughly using your fingers, a pastry blender, a mixer or a food processor. I used my hands. Combine the water and vanilla, and add it to the flour mixture, mixing until smooth.(My dough was very dry. I was concerned it would be crumbly so I ran my hands quickly under the faucet water and added just a smidgeon to the dough.)

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment.

3. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. (I had already taken one ball out to roll). Keep the other pieces covered while you work with one at a time.

Lightly flour your work surface and your rolling pin and roll the piece of dough into a large rectangle which should be 12 inches square when trimmed. (I didn't measure). I tried using a normal size rolling pin but found the fondant rolling pin (which I've used to roll thin tortillas) worked the best. Keep flipping the dough and turning it to keep it from sticking. Don't use too much flour or it will make it difficult to roll. Keep rolling until the dough is as thin as you can get it without tearing, at least 1/16 inch thick.

 

Trim the dough to even the edges and use a pizza cutter or as sharp knife to cut the piece into squares approximately 1 1/2 inches wide. Transfer squares to a prepared baking sheet using a spatula; you can crowd them together, as they don't expand while baking.  Sprinkle squares lightly with salt, if desired.

Bake until crisp and BROWNED, 5-7 minutes. Start watching them carefully at 5 minutes.. they bake quickly and can brown to toast! If some brown quicker then you can take those out while the others finish baking. We liked the ones that were browned better than the ones that were not. Remove the crackers from the oven and cool on the pan or on a plate. The crackers will stay crisp for several days, but are best stored in airtight containers.

My husband said they taste like the real deal. Score!!!!!! No more bought crackers.

How to give a HAIRCUT.

I posted this 'how to give a haircut' on my other blog a few years ago. I thought it might be helpful for those trying to save money.

I've been cutting my families hair for over 30 years. I first taught myself to cut hair with my son when he was just a baby. I had a friend teach me a few more techniques when my children were older so I was then able to cut my husband's hair. I've saved  a ton of money. I  will oftentimes trim my own hair in between hair appointments just to extend my haircut a couple of weeks.

Meet my handsome assistant.... Mr Kevin.

Step One: I started at the back of the neck. I combed most of the hair up so that there was just a thin layer of hair at the base of the neck. I made a cut for my guideline and then used that guideline to cut the hair up to the crown.



Step Two: Pull the hair straight out and cut using the baseline cut on the back of the neck as your guide.



Step 3: Make your first cut at the front. Use this cut as your guideline. Pull up a thin layer of hair behind the guideline and cut to match the guideline cut.  Continue this technique until you hit the crown.




Step 4: Decide where you want the hair over the ears and make your guideline cut. Use this as your guide and work up to the crown pulling the hair out to the side.



Step 5: Comb the hair over the ears towards the eyes and cut as shown.


Step 6: Shave the neck



Doesn't he look nice?



It helps if you can practice on a young child first. I also found instructional videos on U Tube which looked  helpful.

I hope I explained this clearly.

Pursuing less

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

 http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/the_disciplined_pursuit_of_less.html

What I buy at the "Dollar" stores

You really have to know your prices when comparing the Dollar Stores items to other shopping places. Sometimes I know that an item will cost me a bit more if I bought it in a larger quantity at another store but I may be limited on funds and just need a small amount. Peanuts are one of those items. Every once in a while we like them for a snack. Generally the prices are good and the store helps to stretch my dollar.

Do you have a list of items you regularly buy at the "Dollar" stores. I'd love to see it!

Here is my list (and it's growing):

1. Chorizo
2. Freezer bags (occasionally) for large quantities of meat
3. Corn Tortillas
4. Eye Liner
5. Paint Brushes and rollers.
6. Foam brushes for acrylic paint.
7. Gift bags
8. Cards
9. Flowers for the cemetery
10. Bibles (to give away)
11. Frozen vegetables
12. Small bags of nuts
13. Measuring cups
14. Feminine products
15. Hand soap
16. Cheese slices
17. Eggs (depending on the price).
18. Sweet potato chips
19. Pickles
20. Body soap
21. Plastic wrap (I just tried this and it worked great!).
22. Tinfoil
23. Bubbles (for the grands).
24. Craft supplies (for the grands) such as coloring books, paint brushes,
25.Kitchen scissors (they were really sharp).
26. Paper plates
27. Room freshner
28. Laundry detergent (to have on hand if I get lazy about making the homemade recipe).
29. Small bags of nuts. I can't afford the big bags at Costco.
30. Cough medicine

New Idea to stop spending money

I kept pretty good track of my spending this past month.  Boy, what an eye opener!  I was able to see exactly where my money went. I've got to pull in the reigns on my spending a bit tighter.

I discovered through tracking my expenses last month that I use my debit card way too often.This throws my budget off because I use the envelope method for certain categories such as food, dental, auto tuneups, year end accounting, gifts, etc. When I use my debit card instead of the assigned envelope money then I'm taking money that is designated to other bills.

So, I've come up with a plan. I took my debit card and all but one credit card out of my purse. (The credit card I kept is used for my gasoline purchases.) I'll carry a week's worth of my budgeted amount for groceries. When the money is gone then the spending must stop.

I'm hoping this will work. Time will tell.

How do you curb spending?

Living WITHIN our means: Spouse Allowance

I shared on my other blog that my income had dropped since we moved into our new little home. My dear Alice fell not long after I moved and has been in rehab. I'm still helping her with laundry and a few other duties which gives me enough money to 'almost' pay my insurance. I'm not sure if I will have a part time job after a few months so I'm practicing how to live on only my husband's disability check. (I just found out that she will be coming home for a 'trial' run to see how she does. I'm still going to try and live on my husband's check and put the rest towards upgrading our electrical so I can have a dryer for my clothes.)

I made a budget before we bought our new home. I wanted to make sure that we could live on only one salary because I knew the day would come when I might not be working (hopefully). If my Alice does not come home I hope I won't have to work permanently again.

So, I need a plan.

I've revised my budget. It will be tight but we can make it. I've cut back on a few areas (food, gift giving). I'm not sure if I can reach my goal for the food ($200)  but I'm going to try.

Even though I've had to cut back in these areas,  there are a few I hope to not touch. 

First and foremost, I plan to continue giving to the Lord's work.... cheerfully!

Secondly,  I've learned  it's important to include an allowance in our budget. Years ago, before our 10 plus years of prosperity, I fought resentment because I never had money to spend on small little things (gift giving, lunch with a friend).  My attitude was sinful and I suffered discontentment but it also taught me a good lesson that I've carried with me all these years.   I am handling the finances now I don't want to tempt my husband to resent me. So, each of us will still receive a small allowance to spend on what we wish. 

The third thing I don't want to cut is a small amount designated to our savings. It's not huge but $50 a month over a period of a year ends up being a hefty $600. That small savings would purchase a new washing machine if mine decides to 'give up the ghost'. *smile* It's WAY over 10 years old. I'm already having the bank take $25 automatically each month and put it into a Christmas gift account for the grandchildren.

But, as always, I want to keep in mind that # 2 & #3 are not 'God given rights' and prepare myself to give these up  if needs or necessities come our way.

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed. 
 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Next time I hope to share what I'm doing daily to keep expenses low in our home.