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Happy Wednesday!
A QUOTE
No matter what’s happening in the world, have your tea, make your list, plan your food preparation, read to your children, wash the clothes, do something creative for everyone and be a light for your home. – Lydia Sherman
I found this quote on Pinterest and it really resonated. Life seems to be changing minute by minute at this point and when I think too much about the future, I get anxious. This was the reminder I needed to slow down and focus on my vocation right in front of me. One day at a time.
TABS OPEN IN MY BROSWER RIGHT NOW
- free art lessons for kids // we love Jerry’s Artarama for art supplies and these lessons look intriguing
- Llore Pemberton Illustrations // I like this one, but she has many beautiful pieces
- this website for trees // our bareroots haven’t fared well, so I’m researching new options
- life skills list for young adults // using this to help me find the gaps in my high schooler’s skills
A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART
“Homeward with Mother” by Hugh Cameron (found here)
A RECOMMENDATION
Have you seen this home tour of Rejiv Surendra’s NYC apartment? His home is filled with handmade things and so inspiring! Our taste is different, but I immediately starting thinking of projects I could make to add unique beauty to our home. I feel a new challenge coming on…
A HOMEMAKER CHECK-IN
How are you, my dear reader? Some of us are struggling with the rising cost of food, uncertain job security, even whispers of another lockdown. Some of us are working hard toward debt freedom or business creation. The future has so many unknowns and it’s a lot for anyone, but especially for us as homemakers and caregivers in charge of the purse strings. I’m brainstorming a way for us to “talk shop” and share tips, recommendations and encouragement as we dive into these challenging economic times – maybe through these Wednesday Five posts? I hope you’ll comment and share your thoughts as well!
- What do things costs around you right now? Our gas is $2.95/gallon. A few grocery staples: a gallon of whole milk is $2.81, a loaf of bread is $2.48, and a dozen eggs are $1.28.
- I usually make one carb-heavy dinner each week and one we recently tried was this recipe for Chili Mac. I liked that it only called for one pound of ground beef and the rest of the ingredients were all shelf staples. Add a big salad and garlic bread on the side and it’s a decently cheap, well-rounded meal.
- I have been browsing ThredUp every so often for deals on fall/winter wear. Another website I sometimes browse is called Swap. It’s a little hit or miss, but there are some great deals to be found if you dig.
- A tip I just learned and can’t wait to try: You can re-crisp stale cookies, crackers, cereal or chips by placing them in a single layer and dehydrating them at 145° for 1-2 hours.
- Another new find: this website to create and print your own handwriting practice sheets. Really easy to do and could help with homeschool costs!
We shop at Aldi, mostly, so our food costs are as low as they can be. Eggs are usually $1.04, and we can get whole wheat bread for under $2. I was shocked when I had to run into the little local grocery store to pick up something last-minute. The prices are so much higher. Aldi really has insulated us against the worst of the increased grocery prices so far, and I’m grateful to live close-ish to one.
We moved in the last year, and identical utilities are DOUBLE what they were in our old state. Electricity is also much higher, and our property taxes are not quite twice as much as they were previously. We only moved 1.5 hours away, and cost of living increased so much!
I’ve really enjoyed following The Prudent Homemaker (as have you, I think), but living in a northern area and moving frequently we haven’t had a chance to establish the edible landscaping they have. Still, many of her tips are helpful.
I’ve been getting lots of book for next year from thriftbooks. It’s fun to earn free books!
The Minimal Mom on youtube is one of my favorite sources for inspiration on decluttering our homes and lives. Simple living follows, and then so does financial freedom.
It’s an unusual situation to be a single income and commission-based family, and there aren’t many places to discuss frugal things. I have to keep telling myself that God will provide, even if we enter even further inflation. Thank you for asking. <3
Yes, yes, yes to all of this!
+ We don’t have an Aldi close by, but everyone tells me that it’s amazing. Our cheapest options are Walmart and Food Lion.
+ I’ve also been inspired by the Prudent Homemaker’s garden and landscaping. Definitely my dream, so we keep pushing forward, little by little, one little plant at a time!
+ Decluttering has helped me significantly with contentment! You are so right – that breathing room then brings simplicity and helps financially as well.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Gas is $3.25 here, We buy local milk and it costs $8/gallon, which is steep, but a priority in our food budget. I also rely on Aldi and Thriftbooks for our frugal lifestyle. For the last 6 months I”ve been doing once a month Aldi shopping which has been simplifying things and saving money. But, of course, the best way to be frugal is not to buy anything. We are thankful for a “free” pool membership provided by my husband’s workplace so we double down on the free stuff–pool, grandparent sleepovers, hiking in state parks (free in PA), supplemented with some lower-cost fun like tent camping.
“The best way to be frugal is not to buy anything.” –> So true!
I love the tip for re-crisping stale food – I have some chips I might try that on! Gas is $3.51 here. 😩 It’s forcing us to stay home more – we live 30-45 minutes from town, and just can’t go down all the time with gas so high.
We live a similar distance from town and have had to consolidate our trips too!
beautiful painting
That quote at the top. Wow. Thank you. It’s beautiful and really spoke to me.
Our gas is $3.50 a gallon here in Washington state and I definitely am feeling that everything is getting more expensive. We try to eat chicken for at least a couple meals a week because a bag of frozen chicken is so much more reasonable ($6-$7/bag) than hamburger which is at least double that for a meal.
We switched to bi weekly grocery shopping during COVID to reduce exposure and it has been good for us. That second week, I have get a little more creative and I tend to bake things for treats or snacks instead of buying them.
We do movie night on Saturdays with homemade pizza and cookies, which takes more work, but also is a fun opportunity for the kids to help making dinner and saves us a lot over takeout or delivery pizza.
We do a once-monthly Costco run because it is so nice to get massive amounts of things (snacks, toilet paper, kleenex) but it’s an hour and a half away, and is too easy to spend too much money there if we go more often.
We are also a single income family, and gosh it’s hard. But at the same time, I have no interest in going back to work. I feel my place is here, even though my youngest is starting kinder this year… I still feel that I best serve my family here, supporting them and keeping house.
Another thing I have been focused on since prices have gone up is laundry. I am trying to learn how to better care for the clothes we do have, and how to remove stains better. I’m still learning, but I feel confident it will help make our clothes last longer.
I’m also trying to learn better stain removal tricks. These kids are hard on their clothes and messy when they eat, ha!