Rethinking Christmas!

 

This year I want to challenge you to think outside the box a bit when it comes to celebrating Christmas so you don’t break the bank and end up with a giant credit card bill come January.  In my opinion, a huge bill is no way to start out a new year.  Instead, let’s get excited about the holidays with no buyer’s remorse.

 

Have The Talk! 

Have a discussion with your family (the Thanksgiving table may be the perfect venue) about scaling back on the gift giving, not just on how much one should be spending, but also on the quantity of gifts you are giving.  Explain your “why”.  Let everyone know that times are tough right now (no one will argue that point) and that you are paying off debt or you are saving for something important. 

Instead focus on experiences, traditions and of course, the food.  As we have looked back over the years at previous holidays we never seem to remember the gifts we were given, but we always remember wonderful food we ate and the fun things we did.  When it comes to the gifts we give our children set a modest budget and stick to it.  I also love this idea – Something you want, something you need, something to wear & something to read.  Simple, easy and more than plenty.

 

Make It A Challenge! 

Nothing fires people up and gets them excited more than a good ol’ challenge.  Whether the challenge is homemade gifts only, food gifts only, experience gifts only, $5 gifts, $10 gifts, white elephant gifts or whatever you decide a challenge can be a fun and exciting part of your holidays this year.  Instead of giving a gift to everybody outside of your immediate family consider drawing names instead or host a gift exchange where everyone brings a single gift.  Rules can vary and “stealing” may or may not be allowed.

 

Shop Your Home First! 

Before you go shopping for baking ingredients or food for holiday meals go through the freezer, fridge and pantry and pull out everything you already have.  Then make a list and fill in the blanks.  Pull out all of the crafts supplies you have squirreled away in drawers and closets and finally put them to good use.  Look at items around your house, even in the garage, and consider re-gifting them to someone you know would enjoy them.  Or, finally get some of those photos on your phone printed up and give them to your loved ones.

 

Decorate! 

Pull out all of that holiday décor and get busy decorating your home.  Most of us will agree that we have way too many holiday decorations and tangled strings of lights.  Challenge yourself to use only what you already have instead of buying new things this year.  Maybe now is a good time to downsize and consolidate what you have and share some of the overflow with others.  Trade your extra string of lights or box of ornaments for a “new” (to you) wreath for your front door.  Make trimming the tree a party event this year.  Consider playing holiday music or streaming a favorite Christmas movie while you decorate.  Kevin!!!!

 

Wrap It Up! 

Chances are pretty good you already have everything you need to wrap gifts, make your own cards or give away homemade cookie plates on a plain paper plate covered in Saran wrap with bow on top.  Every year my next door neighbor gives me a loaf of her delicious pumpkin bread wrapped in foil with a bow on top.  I love it!  One year we received an assortment of cookies on a tray that was made out of a shoe box lid.  Clever!  If you’ve been saving cookie or popcorn tins over the years now is the time to use them up and give them away. 

When it comes to gift wrapping you don’t necessarily need it to be Christmas specific either.  Plain paper will work just fine.  I personally love the look of brown paper with red ribbon so go ahead and cut up that paper grocery bag taking up residence in the bottom of your pantry and put it to work.  Use aluminum foil or colorful tissue paper to wrap small gifts and tie with a ribbon or length of yarn.  Make your own gift tags too.

 

Keep It Simple! 

Keeping it all very simple and basic not only reduces stress, but it also makes the holidays much more enjoyable.  One of our traditions is to drive around on Christmas Eve and look at the lights people have put up on their houses.  One year it was a full moon out so we just bundled up and walked our neighborhood.  It was so quiet and beautiful, downright enchanting.  When we got home I made hot cocoa for everyone and then we scuttled off to bed before Santa arrived.

 

Scaling back and keeping things simple won’t put a damper on the festivities in fact it may be quite the opposite.  You will mostly likely introduce new experiences, new traditions and make a lot of memories along the way.  Your bonus is that there won’t be a big bill waiting for you in January.

 

 

Rice & Beans?!!

 

“Oh no!  Don’t tell me that in order to save money and pay off debt I have to eat rice and beans!”  Ugh, right?  Well, I’m going to tell you to eat them, but not in the way you think.  I keep a variety of dried beans, split peas, and rice in my pantry to use in so many of my meals and I don’t feel deprived or bored.  I personally do not care for lentils, but if you do definitely ad lentils to your pantry as well.  Not only are these items budget friendly, but they are packed with good nutrients too.

 

I will often cook a batch of dried beans in my slow cooker to make chili, homemade refried beans, add to soups and extend ground beef when I make taco meat.  I brown a pound of ground beef with some diced onion, drain the fat and add a cup or two of the cooked beans along with some taco seasoning.  It is perfect for tacos and burrito filling.  I also like to add cooked black beans and frozen sweet corn to my homemade salsa.

 

Rice makes an excellent side for beef and gravy, sweet & sour pork, a family favorite crack chicken, etc.  I like to season my rice with spices or salsa for Spanish style rice or cook it in broth for extra flavor.  Another family favorite is to make rice pilaf to serve next to pork chops or roasted chicken.  We also love pork fried rice.

 

Of course rice & beans is a very delicious meal to enjoy and I to make it from time to time, but there are so many other great ways to use these in a multitude of other meals.  No boredom.  So go through your cupboards and pull out those bags of rice and dried legumes and get creative.  Your budget will appreciate it and I’m sure you family will too.

 

Do You Have A Stockpile? You Need One!

 

Years ago my first stockpile began with a copy paper box and lid I brought home from work and evolved from there.  I squeaked out every extra penny I could from my existing grocery shopping budget to fill that box with items I used on a regular basis.  It evolved from there until I was able to fill another box and then another.  I stacked the boxes in my hall closet where they were safe and out of the way.  It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen and that practice saved my bacon many times through any financial hardship I faced while raising my family as a single mom.

 

I still keep a stockpile of groceries and nonfood items in my home to this day.  It is a huge part of my financial success and why I am easily able to stay on budget with my expenses and spending.  I would buy one for now and one for later until I had an extra item for nearly everything I had listed on my basic pantry list.  Before long I had two of each item and then three.  Then I added additional numbers of the items I used more often like canned tomatoes, soup, green beans and peanut butter.

 

This is all you really need!

By creating a basic pantry list of items I keep in my home I know that as long as I have those items in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer I can pretty much make anything at any given time so I am not rushing out to the store to pick up an ingredient I don’t have to complete a meal.  If you are interested in receiving a workable Excel copy of this list you can tailor to your needs simply click here to email me.  I will happily send you one.

 

As time has gone on my boxes became tubs and eventually shelving I keep in a spare room for storing my long term food storage.  I added a freezer to our garage to stock with meats and vegetables I bought on sale or markdown.  I have a shelf to stock butter, flour and cornmeal in my freezer too.  Should I find myself facing a financial hardship I know I can now keep myself fed for a year or more.

 

The freezer we keep in our garage

Having a well stocked pantry, refrigerator and freezer gives great peace of mind that, if nothing else, we don’t have to worry about how we will be able to feed our family.  At the onset it may seem unachievable, but if you consistently chip away at it you will be surprised at how quickly you can make it happen.

 

 

Let’s Get Cheesy!

 

There is no doubt we have seen the price of cheese rise, along with everything else, but I feel it is still a very affordable option, especially if you follow these simple tips.

 

Always Buy It On Sale 

I wait until it goes on sale for no more than $2.99 a pound and then I stock up.  I find those sales tend to cycle around about every six to eight weeks and when they do I pounce purchasing as much as I need to keep me going at least six months, sometimes even a year.

 

Buy The Block 

Cheese that is already sliced or grated utilizes ingredients to keep the slices and shreds from sticking or clumping together.  Some brands of sliced cheese will place a paper in between the slices but they are often more expensive.  To keep it simple and healthier I choose the block.  Then I can slice, cube, make my own cheese sticks and grate it how I like.

Consider It A Garnish 

While I would love nothing more than to nosh on a bunch of cheese, I really shouldn’t.  Instead I use it like a flavor and texture enhancer rather than the main ingredient.  By purchasing stronger flavors of cheese such as medium or sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack in place of mozzarella, I find I can get by using far less than the milder options.

 

Wrap & Freeze 

I find that if I layer sliced cheeses with waxed or parchment paper and place them in a Ziploc bag or wrap with plastic wrap they freeze them just fine.  I also freeze my own grated cheeses by placing two cups of it in a Ziploc bag.  I don’t add anything like cornstarch to the bag and have had no issues with clumping.  To further prevent any chance of freezer burn I date the bags, place them inside a larger bag and make sure I use it up in date order (first in; first out).  Freezing the entire block works too, but it will make the texture more crumbly.

 

A little goes a long way!

Watch for those sales and when they pop up that is the time to buy your cheese.  With a little bit of prep you can have a nice stockpile tucked away in your fridge and freezer saving yourself some big $$!

 

My Best Friend In The Kitchen!

 

Hands down the most utilized small appliance in my kitchen is my slow cooker.  I can do a ton of stuff with this bad boy and it frees me up so that I can do other things while still accomplishing a lot in my kitchen.  To me it is the ultimate multi tasker!

 

If you have a slow cooker I want you to pull it out of the cupboard, dust it off and put it to work.  If you don’t, please do not run out and buy one.  Instead I want you to put out the word to your friends, family and co-workers that you would like a slow cooker and would be happy to take one off their hands.  I’m fairly certain that inside your circle there is someone with a slow cooker they are not using that they would happily gift to you.  If not, join your Facebook Buy Nothing Group and put out the word there.  Someone somewhere has an extra slow cooker they aren’t using.

 

Preparing a big pot of soup

Making applesauce

I use my slow cooker year round and all the time.  In the summer I can cook or bake without heating up my kitchen and I can do smaller batches without having to use the oven.  It is perfect for making soups, stews, chili, bone broth, pasta sauce, applesauce, apple or pear butter, you name it.  I also bake in mine.  It is perfect for baking a large batch of potatoes.  I even bake my meatloaf in my slow cooker.  The possibilities are pretty much endless.

 

Meat loaf ready to bake

Large batch cooking and meal prepping is one of my favorite ways to utilize this appliance allowing me to work on other things at the stove.  I will often start a batch of pasta sauce early in the morning and while I’m doing the other things I have planned it is ready to be divided up into freezer containers by the time I am finished with everything else.

 

Making tomato sauce for canning 

Beef broth ready to be strained

I will also fill it up with chicken, beef or ham bones and vegetable scraps, top it up with water and let it go an entire day making the most delicious broth which is basically a FREE food.  It is also a very important ingredient for me to use in recipes, when I make soup and even cooking rice.  My slow cooker definitely earns its keep around my kitchen and I can’t imagine not having one.  We even take it on vacation with us, no joke.  Let’s get slow cooking!

 

Is It Time To Review Your Spending Habits? Yes!

 

With the current state of our economy prices continue to rise and it isn’t likely to change anytime soon.  We feel it most at the gas pump and the grocery store and it seems like far more is going out than coming in.  Now is the best time to take a good hard look at where your money is going and I encourage you to do so.  Last week I talked about eliminating all fee based subscriptions services and apps.  Next it is important to sit down with pen and paper and write out every expense you have and evaluate it to determine if that is really where your money should be going.

 

Transportation - How much are you spending on fuel for your vehicles, car payments, maintenance, insurance, parking fees, even car washes.  Do you pay for music and navigation?  Look at these expenses and determine how you can lower or eliminate these costs altogether.  Are you able to do your own vehicle maintenance?  Do you need to pay for parking or are there other options?  Where are you buying your fuel and how often?  Could you drive less, take public transportation, walk or ride a bike?  Is your vehicle payment truly affordable?  Do you have too many vehicles?

 

Utilities – How much are your monthly utilities really costing you?  Look it up and write it down.  Are you running the heat or A/C when no one is home?  Could you adjust the temperature and still be comfortable simply by wearing a sweater?  Do you heat or cool rooms you aren’t using?  Are you efficient with your water consumption?  Could you shorten your showers and only run the dishwasher or washing machine when full as opposed to smaller loads?

 

Storage – Do you pay for a storage unit?  If so, you simply have too much stuff.  Most people who store stuff off site fill up a storage unit and rarely go back to get any of that stuff.  If that is the case you obviously don’t need it so now is the time to either sell it, donate it or throw it away.  Storage units are a complete waste of money.

 

Dining Out – If you are struggling to make ends meet stop eating out immediately.  Cancel all meal subscription services, delete your Door Dash and Uber Eats apps, stop ordering pizza delivery or take out.  Make your own lunch to take to work or school.  Not only will all of this save you a ton of money, but your health will also improve substantially.

 

Shopping – Do you shop out of need or for entertainment?  Stop scrolling and shopping online, or if you do, leave items in your cart for at least 24 hours before you check out.  Chances are pretty good you’ll change your mind and decide not to make that purchase after all.  For many, shopping and buying is an impulse.  Avoid buyer’s remorse and overspending simply by giving up the habit of impulse shopping and being real with yourself.  Ask, do I truly need this item?

 

Vacations – If you are in debt put all vacation plans on hold.  Instead create a vacation savings fund and don’t go until one, you have paid off a big chunk of your debt, and two, you already have the money you need saved up to take that vacation.  In the meantime entertain yourself and your family with FREE options.  You will enjoy that vacation a lot more when you know you won’t be facing a big credit card bill once you get home.

 

The only way to live successfully in the midst of rising inflation and secure our future is to rein in our spending, eliminate debt and begin to save.  Living paycheck to paycheck and not being able to pay our bills is exceedingly frustrating and stressful.  It wears on our emotions and makes us miserable.  By reviewing our spending habits and getting a handle on where and how our money is spent we can take the first step in securing our financial future and our happiness.

 

 

Thrifty FREE Entertainment!

 

There are several ways to save money when it comes to entertaining your family.  First and foremost, recognize that contrary to popular belief, you do not always need to be entertained and neither do your children.  In fact, mental downtime and physical rest is crucial to a healthy lifestyle.  Doing nothing is completely okay.

 

Budget tip - If you are struggling financially do a thorough review of your subscriptions and fee based apps and cancel them.  All of them!  You will find there are plenty of non fee based options available so there is no point to paying for these services.  Once you have done this you will be filled with a surprising sense of freedom.

 

Seek out entertainment sources that do not cost money.  A picnic at the park is a great no cost way to spend quality time as a family.  Enjoy time together with conversation, fresh air, green grass, exercise and laughter.  Leave all of your cell phones in the car and really enjoy being unplugged.  Make it an endeavor to visit as many parks in your area as possible throughout the year.

 

Go to your local library.  Not just to check out books, but to take advantage of free programs they have for children, teens and adults.  Most libraries still have DVDs as well as games (board games and video games) available to check out.  Free internet and computer availability is also a great perk.  Make a point to visit the library at least once a month and you’ll be amazed at how transformative this will become.  You’ll read more, relax more and enjoy more.

 

Check out FREE museum days and other educational opportunities in your city and get these events on your calendar.  Movies in the park, art events, car shows, festivals, even free admission to the fair (ours has a food donation event that allows you in free with a non perishable food item) can be found in most cities.  High schools often offer concerts and play performances that are free to the public.

 

Have a movie night!  Pop some popcorn or make root beer floats and stream a movie.  There are a lot of movies available to stream for FREE (with or without ads).  For extra fun find some movies you enjoyed as a kid and share them with your children.  Even if they are corny your kids will appreciate the nostalgia.  Youtube is one of my favorite places to source movies.

 

Pizza night is a fun way for families to engage by learning to make your own pizza dough and adding your own sauce and toppings.  Make one big pizza or allow everyone to make their own personal size pizza and get creative.  Nachos are another fun option.  Play some music, invite a couple of guests to join you and make it a party!

 

Go hiking or take a nature walk, go on a bike ride, go camping (even if you only go as far as the backyard), host a potluck BBQ, play cards, have a craft or art night using supplies you already have in the house, visit antique shops just to look at old stuff, visit your state Capitol, check out a ghost town, put a jigsaw puzzle together, most importantly have fun!