Snacking

OK. It's been awhile since I last blogged. I'll admit I'm not much of a blogger yet, but I was really trying. Life gets crazy, but I'm back! (At least this week.) One of the things I advocate in my book, "Centsible Meals", is no snacking. We all know it's not necessary; that's not rocket science. But stopping is a whole other issue. I'm looking for readers to post ideas about quitting. What helps you stop? How do you sit at home all day next to the fridge and stay away? Personally, I find summer vacation redeeming for me. The kids come home and I have absolutely no time to myself to sneak snacks. Plus, I seem to use more calories in the summer when all seven kids are home ALL DAY. However, that doesn't always help me during the school year. Please share what helps you!

Kids in the Kitchen

My tip and post for the week is an article that's in Montana Parent Magazine - the new March issue. The article is titled "Kids in the Kitchen" and discusses the advantages of teaching our kids how to cook. Of course, one of the advantages is that families save money when kids know how to cook, but there are also lots of other great reasons to teach this skill. In the article I also give ideas for how to involve kids at all ages and stages. If you want to save more money, make a picky eater happy, and give your kids something productive to do in the kitchen, check out http://www.mtparent.com/!

Inexpensive and Yummy Muesli

I love granola and muesli, but I never buy either - way too pricey. Instead, we make our own! For a bowlful of delicious muesli put small handfulls each of homemade granola (see recipe on my website), cornflakes, regular uncooked rolled oats, and raisins in a bowl. If you have it, replace raisins with fresh fruit. Add milk or yogurt and enjoy! My kids think this is the best treat in the world (almost).

How to Stick to a Budget

Some tips for sticking to a budget from money guru Dave Ramsey! I have done all of these, and I know they work!


1.Make sure you write it down. Give every dollar a name on paper. Spend your income on paper before you actually spend it.

2.Stay away from places that tempt you to spend. If you are overspending, you need to buckle down and get serious. It’s a sign of maturity when you delay pleasure today so that you can ensure a better tomorrow.

3.Use Dave’s envelope system to help you spend cash in line with your budget. Take some envelopes, write the budget categories on the envelopes, and use only the allotted money to purchase specific things. When an envelope is empty, don’t buy anything else in that budget category.

4.Stay motivated! Don’t give up! A budget gives you hope that your money situation can and will get better. Dwelling on the failures of the past, or fearing that you will never get to the end, will steal your hope. To avoid this, break your plan down into smaller goals. You can change your financial picture. You can change your life.

Recordkeeping = Big Money Savings

Here's a cool fact from yesterday's TV show:


(CBS) In the final installment of "The Early Show"'s "Five Ways To Boost" series, financial contributor Ray Martin and Farnoosh Torabi, author of "You're So Money: Live Rich Even When You're Not," showed how you can boost your finances, including getting some quick cash into your pocket.


Martin said to increase cash in your house you first need to measure and manage your money.


He explained, "The only way to really get a sense of where your spend your money and then make moves to keep more of it is to measure where it is going. And you know the saying: 'If you don't measure it you can't manage it!'"


Martin suggested starting an Excel spreadsheet for your family or by downloading one of the free budget worksheets on the Internet. Type "budget worksheets free" into Google, he said, and you'll get 191,000 results. Also, check out online expenses tracking websites Wesabe.com and Mint.com.


Martin said when he's heard from people who start tracking their expenses, they start saving $500 to $1,000 a month.


The biggest savings, Martin said, can come from getting a handle on out-of-control grocery costs through better meal planning and buying in bulk and on sale. (See why I liked this?)


Martin said, "The point here is this: Don't ignore the little expenses, because those little expenses really add up."

What to do with Leftovers!?

Tonight we are having leftovers. There isn't enough of any one thing to have another complete meal with it, so we are going to the Bowden Bistro for dinner. I've made up some simple menus so the kids can choose what they want to eat. Catch - the menu item names, like "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride", have absolutely nothing to do with the food they represent. The kids will be choosing fun names and have no clue what they are ordering. This should be a fun way to get rid of ALL the leftovers sitting in my fridge. Any other fun ideas for finishing off those little containers taking up space in the fridge? Leave a comment!

National Oatmeal Month!

We eat oatmeal. It's easy to make. It's warm on cold mornings. It's cheap and filling for all the little mouths we feed. It helps us appreciate the finer things in life. In honor of National Oatmeal Month, I'm posting some "add-ins" we've used to lend variety to our plentiful oatmeal mornings.

First the basic recipe:
Boil 4 cups water in a saucepan. Add 2 1/3 cups oatmeal and turn the stove off but leave the pan on the burner. In about five minutes, stir in 1/3 cup brown sugar. Enjoy! Serves 6-8.

Some add-ins we have liked:
-stir in 1/2 cup peanut butter with the brown sugar
-stir in 1 T cocoa with the brown sugar
-cook oats in apple juice instead of water and add 1 chopped apple with the oats; leave out sugar
-add 1 t. cinnamon with the brown sugar
-add 3/4 cup raisins with or without the sugar

Enjoy your homemade variety pak oatmeal this month!