Menu Planning

It has been too long since I posted last. I need to get back into a regular schedule. If we can just make it to the end of school without going completely crazy, I will be happy. :-)

I thought I would give more details this time on how to make your plan for the week. I omit some of my steps when I write here, so this week I will *really* let you know about my process.

The foundation of all of this is a budget. I didn't used to have a strict budget. We used to just buy groceries, go out, spend money...we were living within our means, but I think we would have saved SOOOOOO much money if I had done then what I am doing now.

We recently (last year) discovered Dave Ramsey. His advice is just like everyone else's...but in a slightly different order. It really works. His advice about budgeting is to tell EVERY PENNY of your income where to go in your budget. Start with housing, groceries, transportation, then go to the extras like cable, restaurants, entertainment. In order to do that, you will have to gather 6-12 months of bills, credit card statements...all evidence of your spending habits. I know what our average electricity bill is and I budget for that average every month. If we don't spend all of that, it goes into an allocated savings account for the months (usually the summertime) when our bills are higher than average.

When you set your groceries budget (or any of them), be reasonable. If you have been spending $800 a month on groceries, don't set a budget of $200. You won't make it. You will be discouraged. You need a win. This is where Dave Ramsey is different - he talks about how finances are 20% knowledge and 80% emotion. Give yourself a reasonable amount and try to see if you can spend less than that. If you do, set the bar lower until you find the equilibrium. If you don't, try to analyze what you are doing wrong.

So now that you have your budget, Dave Ramsey recommends using a cash system. Emotionally, laying $100 in cash on the counter to pay for those groceries hurts A LOT more than swiping your plastic. Since we are on a tight budget, I like to buy scrip (grocery store gift cards) from my DD's school so that I am making a "donation" to the school to help pay for some of the extra activities at the school, but it isn't any additional money out of our budget. However you choose to do it, the bottom line is that when the cash is gone, you'd better find a way to make some meals out of what you have in your pantry until next month.

Speaking of meals, make a list of the meals that you usually make. I have about 12. I listed all the items I need to make those meals. Stockpile the staples: condensed soup, rice, flour, beans, canned vegetables, pasta, spaghetti sauce...Keep those items on hand so that you can always fill in with fresh ingredients for your meal. Nothing is worse than having lots of food in your pantry, but not having the ability to make any meals because you are missing ingredients.

NOW you are ready to plan your meals. This week, there is LOTS of produce on sale. Blueberries are inexpensive at both Sprouts and Vons, corn is on sale at Sprouts for 25 cents each, watermelon is only 20 cents a pound at Sprouts, zucchini and broccoli are 88 cents per pound at Sprouts, pork chops and flank steak are on sale at Sprouts...I spent $34 on about 3-4 bags of food at Sprouts yesterday!
So our meal plan this week includes flank steak on the grill with corn and salad, pork chops with sweet potatoes and salad, fish (there are some sales at Vons) with couscous and salad, we had burritos/nachos last night, and hot dogs and beans with fruit salad for a quick and easy meal. (Did you notice the salads? Decided my family needed to be eating more fresh veggies. ;-) )

It is an involved process to do this the first time. But once you have done it, you will have more control and more knowledge of your spending habits. And then hopefully more money in your savings account!

Good luck to you!
--Katie

Stockpile Tips in Preparation for Summer

I recently posed a question to a wonderful facebook group and they had some interesting answers. I asked them what each of them had in their stockpile. It led to a great discussion and insight into what everyone uses. There were moms who managed to stockpile enough diapers and wipes to last them until the end of their potty-training, some ladies who clearly need coffee as much as I do, and others who have enough personal care items to take care of their own families and still have plenty to donate to local shelters!
Many of the women have one room that they store things in. Sometimes it is a guest room, sometimes it is the garage. I personally store my items nearby the purpose they serve (i.e. laundry soap is in the garage just outside the laundry room so I can grab some quickly, shampoo and body wash is stored in the bathroom, etc). One of the women had a great suggestion: how about making a list of things that are safe to stockpile in the garage in the desert?

Of course I have this blog specifically to help people in the Coachella Valley to save money and nothing is worse than having to throw out food, so here are some pointers on what to store in the garage and when.

I did a quick search of the web for proper storage of stockpiled items. Most of the websites that popped up were in reference to stockpiling for emergencies, but the pointers they provide could apply to any food that you are planning to store long-term. Also, many of the couponing blogs are written by people who live in areas that have temperatures below freezing. They all have great basements or root cellars where the temperature generally stays the same all year. There's the key!

Most non-perishable and personal items are made to be stored at room temperature. So around 75 degrees is optimal. Unless your garage is air conditioned, move those items out of the garage. Canned items are not made to be frozen or heated before you open them, so keep this in mind when choosing where to store your items. Dry, cool, and dark is best.

Another consideration is plastic: if you have plastic bottles of water, juice, or other beverages that are contained in #7 plastic, do not store these in the garage if the temperature will get above 75-80 degrees. The chemicals in the plastic (specifically Bisphenol-A or BPA) will start to leach into the beverage, exposing you and your family to harmful substances. If your plastic bottles are not #7, you probably are ok except that the manufacturer has formulated the beverage for storage at room temperature and you might end up with something that tastes a little funny when you get around to drinking it.

Also, at the temperatures we experience, personal items could potentially melt...think deodorant, maybe the little lotion strips on razors, etc.

Don't store batteries in the garage! That is one non-food item that does NOT tolerate heat.

So what's left?

Not much. Laundry soap? Cleaning items? I would say these are safe to store in the garage. Soap, toothbrushes, and shampoos are probably safe too. Anything you won't ingest is probably good for the garage.

The rest? Keep it inside until November when it finally cools down again. :-)
 --Katie

May has arrived...

...And our temperatures are starting to feel like summer... no May flowers here! :-)

It seems we are sprinting to the end of the school year. Activities are building up to the final shows and parties, the end of the year parties at school are shaping up, and I am beginning to worry that I won't be able to keep my kids busy once it all ends! In the meantime, I have no extra time to think between now and June 8.

I was able to pick up some "real" work (you know, the kind where you get a paycheck at the end), so that's complicating the matter. In fact, I really shouldn't be blogging right now, but, as they say: "all work and no play..."

I was very excited after giving my couponing presentation to a couple people at the College of the Desert. That was really fun and I hope I get to do it again. I talked about how to get started...I feel like I need a follow-up workshop though to really go through the process and do a whole shopping trip with everyone!

My couponing has been crazy...on again off again. I still managed to save 40% at Vons last week, but it makes me wonder if I couldn't have saved more. I have to let it go and do what I can, though...no one is perfect. The Vons Just 4 U program has been great...there are alot of online coupons, personalized deals, and unadvertised club deals that you can find on that website. Also, they recently released an iPhone app, so I am in hog heaven. When I have an app where I can do all my couponing and list-making in the car, at dance class, or waiting for my DD during pickup at school, that saves me so much time. (If I ever have to downgrade to a regular mobile phone, I think I will go through serious withdrawal!)

I know it is late, but if you can get to Vons before tomorrow, they have a great deal on lots of items...buy 8 and receive a discount. Specifically, I was able to get Rosarita refried beans for 80 cents a can. That's about as cheap as they come. It actually worked out pretty nicely since I was running low! There are some other items included in the sale as well. They generally run this type of sale over a couple weeks, so hopefully it will continue into next week too. In a couple hours I will know for sure...ads will be in my mailbox. :-)

Also, the new P&G coupon insert came in the paper this weekend, so that's an exciting time in the couponing world. (And I swear I am NOT being facetious. It really *is* exciting!)

This month should be very interesting for shopping and meal planning. I am going to crack the whip and really try to stay way under my budget for this month. It will be difficult since it will be very tempting to go out when we are so busy. But this is when it really counts. If I get to the end of the month and we have only gone out a couple times, I will be really proud of the effort I made to save money. And if I get to the end of the month and we went out more than I wanted, it is time to step up the meal planning efforts. I will let you know what my meal plans are and how things go.

Come tell me how you are doing, too.
Good luck to you!
--Katie