Fashion has always interested me.  One of the (many) things I wanted to be, growing up, was a fashion designer and model.  When I was thirteen I got to have one of my dreams come true….I went to modeling school!  ( I may even share some pictures from back then.)

We found a Christian modeling agency near us and I had such a great time.  Even though that seems like a long time ago, I still enjoy fashion and modeling.  ( I just think it’s sad how raunchy modeling has become.)

Pantone has the new fall fashion colors available for download here.  You can see the new colors as well as get some budget friendly advice about updating your wardrobe for fall!

By knowing what the “new” colors will be for fall, you can scout out your local thrift store, find the colors there and still stay in budget!

So are you excited about changing to fall clothes?  What season do you enjoy dressing for the most?

For more great tips visit Works For Me Wednesdays hosted by We Are THAT Family!

“The way to wealth is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality: that is, waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality nothing will do, and with them everything.”

Benjamin Franklin

When I tell people where I shop for groceries they often say, ” I’d love to shop there, but it’s too expensive!”.  But, if  I didn’t use some strategy, it would be too pricey for me as well!

Here are some frugal tips I use to make my grocery money work hard:

* Find out when your local grocery puts out the managers specials.  These are foods that will expire in a few days and the store is motivated to get them out the door!

By finding these products and using them up quickly or preserving them, you can save up to 50% off full retail! Our local store marks things down early Monday morning…so that’s when we do our shopping!

*Every store has mark down areas.  Locate these super saving areas and check them every time you are in the store.   You never know what you’ll find!

* Use your coupons. Yes, I know this isn’t a secret tip, but it really works!  I try to remember to bring my coupon book with me to the store,  because the store seems to always have unadvertised sales that match my coupon.

Well, these are some things that Work For Me…what helps you save money in the grocery?

Don’t forget that…

I’ve added a bunch of new designs to my store and in honor of Mother’s Day I’m offering a coupon code!

You will get 10% off your total order through May 11th, 2009.
All you need to do is use the coupon code: MOTHER when checking out.  Happy shopping!

Remember that…

I’ve added a bunch of new designs to my store and in honor of Mother’s Day I’m offering a coupon code!

You will get 10% off your total order through May 11th, 2009.
All you need to do is use the coupon code: MOTHER when checking out.  Happy shopping!

On to the post…I’ve run across some great posts in the last few days and I wanted to share them with you!

Nester from Nesting Place has come out with her first ebook, It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful!

This is good news just by itself, but she is offering this book FOR FREE!!! Head on over to Nesting Place to get the details!

For the other great ebook that came out today…Remodeling Guy has written: The Power of Remodeling — how remodeling your home can change your life. You can get this ebook for free as well!!

Sarah from Sweet Thing(s) has posted the most wonderful, frugal modeling “clay” recipe! See how she made this robin by clicking here.

The Children’s Nest has a great idea for making your own beautiful file folders.  I think most of us have some pretty paper laying around, so this is frugal and fun!

Ashlee from Pretty Partridge has shown how to make these adorable hair clips!  Click here for the details!

Enjoy!

I got this recipe for crock pot yogurt at Nourishing Days.  If you are interested in nourishing foods and wondering how they will fit into your life, this is the blog for you!  Shannon makes healthy cooking easy and has great recipes.

Here is how my yogurt turned out:

It was thinner than store bought yogurt because it’s without any extra thickeners.  I usually sweeten it with unsulfered molasses, pure maple syrup and pure vanilla extract.  I also add a little water in it and we drink it like keiffer.  I used these sweeteners because of their high iron and calcium content.

We only use cultured dairy and a little organic cheese.  I just buy organic, lightly pasteurized milk at the store and make our own yogurt.  I’d rather be using raw milk, but the culturing process adds back most of the enzymes and vitamins lost in the pasteurization process.

This is SO easy! You’ll have a lot of fun making this.  I’ve made about 4 batches and it’s turned out great every time!

This is the time schedule that works well for us:

3:30 pm- pour the milk into the crock pot and cook it on low

6:00pm- turn off the heat and let it sit covered with the lid

9:00pm- stir in the 1/2 cup of yogurt and cover with towels

9:00am (the following morning)- take out 1/2 cup of yogurt to use next time, stir and and enjoy!

I also made yogurt cheese with one batch. It was so good that the kids and I dipped our veggies in it. Yum!

I laid a piece of cheesecloth over a mesh colander, put the colander into a large bowl and poured the yogurt over it.  The whey drained out in a few hours and I was left with the yogurt cheese…so easy!

For more yogurt info be sure to stop by Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s blog. She just did a great post on yogurt and the comments people left were very informative and helpful.

If you’d like to learn more healthy recipes go to Fight Back Fridays at Food Renegade.

If you try making your own yogurt or have some tips to share, please comment below. I’d really like to hear what works for you!

When I started learning about nourishing food, I was really excited.  But, there was one thing I was dreading….my grocery bill.  Because everyone knows that healthy food costs more, right? Well it can, but it doesn’t have to.

When I first started buying healthy food, I was shocked when I left the store.  I left with only a few bags to take home and a short receipt in my hand. My grocery budget was shot.  Something had to change!

I’ve learned a few things that have helped me feed our family healthy food on a budget. I believe these tips will help you too!

First, having a menu plan will make the greatest difference in the amount you spend at the grocery.  But, remember that a menu plan only works if you actually USE the menu you’ve written down!

Start prepping your evening meal in the morning; so you won’t be too tired to cook that night. (If you’re too tired to cook, fast food is very tempting! Ask me how I know!)

Organic and Thrifty sums this up nicely: “Remember, the way to eat nourishing without spending a bunch of money is to look for the deals on meat, poultry, and seafood as well as produce and build your menu on those things. Then, round out your meals with whatever you have on hand. And remember, you don’t need lots and lots of meat per meal; only about the size of a deck of cards!”

Stay tuned for part 2 on Wednesday.  I’ll be showing you what I bought on my last grocery trip and how I saved almost $30 in a regular grocery store!

I’m so excited about the Nourishing Frugal Recipes Carnival hosted by Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet!

As I’m learning to feed my family healthy food, I’m always looking for ways to do it for less.

I thought I’d share two recipes that I’ve made in the last few weeks. These recipes passed the kid and husband test, so they must be good!

Mexican Sprouted Rice and  Crock-pot Roast Beef

All I do is sprout some brown rice and cook it normally.  Then to 4 cups of rice I’ll add in about 1/2 cup of salsa, 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes, about 2 Tablespoons of cumin and salt to taste.

I cook my roast in the crock-pot on low all day.  When it’s done I shred it and add in salsa, cumin and salt to taste.

I serve the meat over the rice with natural sour cream and salsa.  I serve a salad on the side.

The second recipe is for raw hummus. I found this on All Recipes.com.   You can see the recipe here.

This hummus isn’t as creamy as it would be with cooked chickpeas, but I found it to be easier to digest than  regular hummus.

I also take the time to sprout my chickpeas. It makes them more nutritious and easier to digest. It’s very easy to do. Sprouting seems like a lot of extra work, but when I do it while I’m cooking our regular meals it’s really easy.

Sprouted Chickpeas

1. Sort, rinse and soak dried chickpeas overnight or for 8 hours. Be sure to cover the chickpeas with at least 3″ of water; they will absorb lots of water while they are soaking.

2. Drain and rinse. Rinse the chickpeas three times a day. I do it at breakfast, lunch and dinner to make it easy to remember.

3. They are ready to use when the spouts are 3/4″ long. If you can’t use them right away put them in the fridge for a few days.

Simple, fugal and nourishing!

Be sure to come back on Monday for part 1 of Healthy Food On A Budget!

On Valentine’s Day 2000 my life changed forever…our son was born! He was born on his due date and was a very cute BIG (10.12) baby. Since his birth Valentine’s Day has been overshadowed by our son’s birthday. My husband and I still take time to do something special even though it’s our son’s birthday.

The last few years we have been staying at home instead of going out on February 14th. Last year I fed the kids early and tucked them into bed as soon as possible.  I brought out a few candles and made our bedroom very romantic. We ate cheese fondue with bread and veggies and for desert we had chocolate fondue with fruit. (It was pretty simple to make, you can look online for good recipes.) It was so nice to have a quiet night at home instead of staying out late in a loud restaurant.

Since our children are young we have had to make some adjustments in our “date life”. Having a date at home is frugal, fun, romantic and we don’t even have to find a sitter!  Works for me!

As women the task of grocery shopping is usually ours.  Whether you love to get out and shop or just don’t like the thought of starving, we have to buy food! With all the effort that goes into getting meals onto your family’s table, let’s make your hard work count.
No matter how often you shop there are a few things you can do to make shopping easier and more pleasant.

Here are my top 8 tips:

• Have a list!  If you don’t you will probably be wandering about the store buying everything BUT what you need.
• Use coupons. It may seem like a small amount, but over time it will add up. Just don’t succumb to manufactures ads and buy things you won’t use.
• For the healthiest shopping stick to the outside edges of the store, venturing into the interior aisles for pantry staples.
  Cook from scratch as much as possible.  If you use prepared meals you’ll trade the time saved for your hard earned money, in addition to not giving your family the best nutrition possible.
• If having a daily menu plan seems too confining, at least write down about a weeks worth of dinner plans.  Buy the things needed to make the meals and then look at your list and see what sounds good to fix that day.
• Try to eat before you shop and if you have children feed them too.  There are few things as tiring as a whining child. And if you’re not hungry you’ll be less tempted to buy junk food and it will be easier to stick to your list.
• Don’t be brand loyal.  The store brands are usually just as good as the national brands and cost a lot less.
• Are you concerned about the pesticides on fruit and veggies? But, buying organic isn’t in your budget?  Try a fruit and veggie wash product to make your produce healthier.
• When you see hamburger or chicken on sale try to buy extra and freeze it to use later.

Above all pray and ask the Lord to show you the best deals to bless your precious family.

Well this Friday and Saturday is BlissDom!!! I’m very excited, but I’m still trying to figure out what to wear! Yesterday I went to Angela’s closet.   No this isn’t a fancy boutique even though the beautiful clothes and jewelry make it look like it is!

Angela is one of my girlfriends. She has great taste in clothes and we are about the same size…what a wonderful combination! When I went over to her house I was expecting to borrow a few things for BlissDom, but she kept saying “this is for you and this and this…”. Wow!  We found some great things for me to wear.

Do you have friends that are about the same size as you are? Try having a clothes swap! Since most of us are trying to save money having something new to wear for free is about as good as it gets!