Great Personal Finance Book Recommendation

I am an avid reader, and when I come across a book that I love, I have to share it! I was just sitting down to re-align our budget (there are just some times when that becomes prudent), and I thought back to a book I read a couple of years ago called "All Your Worth" by Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi. 

In their book, they present a very rational and doable plan for money management, including a budgeting formula of 50% Must-Haves, 20% Savings, and 30% Wants. I can tell you that the more in line we've been with that formula, the less stressful our budgeting has been. If you'd like a preview, check out this link. It covers a lot of the main points in the book.

The book is very readable, very enjoyable, and completely motivating. I highly recommend that you check it out from the library- it's definitely on my list of must-reads for everyone I know, especially if you feel like you're in a financial rut!

Does anyone else out there have recommendations for some good financial literature? I am always up for new material!

Old Mother Hubbard and Me!

My husband's job is mostly commission-based- he installs security systems and gets paid by the job and the devices he installs. Well, a couple of weeks ago he suffered an injury that put him on "light duty". Light duty= office work= low paycheck. So this week I am putting my frugal muscles to work to see how little I can spend when I do my weekly grocery shopping tomorrow! 

What I have decided to do is to try this "Old Mother Hubbard"-style and to take a look at what I already have in my freezer, fridge, and pantry, and try to make some meals from it. Luckily, they are not completely bare thanks to my deals shopping of weeks past. So here is what I have come up with so far in no particular order (note: I usually only plan dinner menus because we always have cereal for breakfast and the kids always eat the same things for lunches, and my DH doesn't eat lunch...go figure...):

Dinner #1: Canned chicken noodle soup- I'll add dumplings (this is a first for me!) and some extra carrots that I have, maybe even some extra cooked chicken (see dinner #7)

Dinner #2: Spaghetti- no meatballs for this one, but I'll make either some homemade bread or rolls and accompany it with a big salad (I like the giant bags of salad from Sam's Club for $2.50)

Dinner #3: Tuna pasta salad- I have some of that "Suddenly Salad" mix that I tried for the first time this week and it was pretty good- I think that if I just add some canned tuna and have some cooked broccoli on the side, maybe some of that leftover bread and/or rolls with it then it will be pretty good!

Dinner #4: Frozen Pizza- Got this cheap, not particularly healthy, but it's a crowd-pleaser! We'll have some salad on the side.

Dinner #5: Corn pancakes or waffles and eggs- I like to make breakfast for dinner sometimes, but I like to use the Jiffy corn muffin mix (can't beat it for $0.33 a box!) and do corn pancakes because they're a little bit heartier than the buttermilk pancakes.

Dinner #6: Potato Soup- I just recently got a recipe for how to make a cheesy potato soup using items from food storage (dried potato flakes, etc.). I am going to give it a try and maybe add in some of those extra carrots and accompany it with some corn muffins.

Dinner #7: Grilled Chicken Salad- this is a favorite of ours! We just take some chicken breasts (I think I have 2 left in the freezer!) and season them with a little garlic salt and pepper and then throw them on the grill. Once they're done, we cut them up and put them on a green salad. Add some cheese and  your favorite salad dressing, maybe some bread on the side, and you've got a yummy and filling meal!

So that's the plan for next week- I'll be sure to post again to let you all know of my successes and (though hopefully fewer!) flops.

How could you reduce your grocery bill for next week with items you already have in your cupboards?? Leave a comment and let us know what you're going to try this week!

Speaking of Gardening...Here's a FREE eBook!

I have at least one sister-in-law who will love this freebie- just go here to sign up for Organic Gardening's free newsletter and receive a complimentary eBook entitled "Companion Planting Made Easy." I love free stuff, especially really helpful free stuff!

Thanks to moneysavingmom for this great deal!

This is a test...

I have been hoping with this blog to help people save money and appreciate their lives and to get a dialogue started about the various topics  through the comments sections. Sadly, the comments have been really sparse! So this is my question- does anyone read my blog? According to my hit counter, people come here, but no one comments! (Except for you, Alicia, thank you!)

This is a test- if you read this post, please add a quick comment for me- I don't even care if all you write is "Hi." I just want to know that someone is out there! 

If you have a little more time, please let me know if this is a blog you think you might read again, and depending on if your answer is a yes or no, please tell me what you like/don't like about it. I am open to criticism!

And lastly, if there are topics you want me to cover on here, please let me know! I aim to please, people! ;-)

THANKS EVERYONE! 

Hang on Little Tomato

Okay, so that's a weird title for this post, but it's the title of a song (and an album) by Pink Martini, one of my favorite bands, and I think of it every time I'm in the garden!

Anyway, today I just wanted to write about a God-breeze I had (for those of you who are not familiar with the term "God-breeze" it is borrowed from Flylady and it covers anytime you have a moment of inspiration and contentment). I was out in the garden with my children last week, and the weather was really nice- not nearly as humid as it has been, and the sky was blue and the sun was shining and there were white puffy clouds and a pleasantly cool breeze. I was sitting on my bench under my favorite tree by the garden gate and I was just enjoying the delightful weather, when I realized that my enjoyment of the weather was being heightened by my garden. I've always been one to appreciate a glorious day, but since I have been caring for my garden this summer, I seem to have extended my mothering instincts to my little tomato plants (and my one butternut squash plant, can't forget him!). As I was enjoying the weather, I wasn't just appreciating it for me and my children, but I was appreciating it on a deeper level for the way that the sun was gently encouraging my little plants to grow. I was admiring the clouds for the moisture that they carried that would nourish my little plants and help them flourish. I was enjoying the little insects buzzing around that pollinated the flowers. I was admiring the worms for their dedicated tunneling that would loosen and enrich the soil so that the roots would have room to stretch. 

At that moment it just seemed that all of nature was helping me to produce these beautiful sweet tomatoes (and squash, of course) that would eventually nourish my family, and I was just grateful. Grateful to God for giving us such a beautiful world, and for creating a perfect system in which all parts work together for a great purpose. In my case, that great purpose is a humble little tomato and squash garden, but to me it is special, because I helped to create it. I remember once reading a long list of ways to feel closer to God, and it included things like read your scriptures, pray, give service to others, but the one thing on the list that surprised me was "plant a garden." Now I really understand why! When you plant a garden, you are harmonizing with God in His creations, and you are being industrious, yet gentle. You cannot stuff a seed into the ground and then yank up a plant. It takes patience, loving care, gentle coaxing, much as our Father helps each of us to grow. And then, if given enough time and love, you will be rewarded with an abundance of beautiful fruits to nourish and sustain you.

I decided to write about this on here because gardening is such a wonderful way to feed your family delicious, quality fruits and vegetables while spending only a few cents for the seeds and a fraction of your time each day. But not only will you enjoy the end result, you will grow to appreciate the journey, and gain a deeper appreciation for all of God's creations along the way.

How does your garden grow? 

Run Away

This is going to be slightly off-topic for my blog, but it's becoming a big part of my life so I just want to put it out there- let's talk about physical fitness! Now, I have a lot of friends that have monthly gym memberships, which I think is great if you can afford it and you know you'll use it, but I am so busy most of the time, I just don't know how I'd find 2 hours in my day to drive to the gym, work out, shower, and then drive home. It would be tricky, and therefore not necessarily worth the expense.

I have always tried (key word is TRIED) to exercise on a fairly regular basis, but of course it hasn't always worked out. But in April I had something of an inspiration when my husband ran the Monument 10k here in Richmond. He is very athletic, so even though he wasn't in top shape and he only started preparing for it a month in advance, he ran it in an hour and ran the whole way without too much trouble. I really enjoyed supporting him and cheering everyone on. It was just really inspirational watching all of these people- many of whom did not look like they were athletes- taking on the challenge and having fun with it. 

So after that race I decided that I wanted to give it a shot. I know that I am not a runner, and I am definitely not athletic, so I knew that I would probably need the whole year to prepare and so I started about 2 weeks after the race. My training really picked up in May after I got my heart rate monitor for Mother's Day. I usually don't endorse spending a lot of money on things, but in this case, the heart rate monitor was TOTALLY worth it. Mine is made by Polar, and it has a watch/wrist unit and a chest strap. I think it was around $100 on eBay. Shortly after I got it, I checked out a book from the library on how to train with a HRM, and that helped me understand that I didn't just need to get my heart rate up, I needed to keep it steady in the right zone for me. Basically, think of your body like a car- cars get the best gas mileage when they are going steady (like on cruise control) on the highway. It's the same way with your body- if your heart rate is constantly jumping up and down, then your endurance is greatly reduced. If, however, you keep it at a constant rate in your target zone, then your body uses your energy much more efficiently and you can do a lot more with a lot less expenditure.

Anyway, before I was barely able to run for 3 minutes without stopping. After I started training with my HRM, I was able to keep going for quite some time. After only about 8 weeks I ran a full 3 miles without stopping. It may have taken me 40 minutes to do it, but I did it! It was a huge accomplishment for me.

All along my goal has simply been to run the 10k and do so comfortably- without feeling like I was going to die! Before, it was a distant dream. But now I am running at least 2.3 miles 2-4 times a week, and I feel really good! Having the 10k as my goal has kept me moving, even through the "slumps", and I am looking forward to conquering a mountain that, up until now, had always seemed far too tall for me to climb. Nothing makes me feel better about myself than accomplishing something that is really hard for me to do, and doing so as a result of persistent hard work. I am proud of what I am doing, and of how it is making me feel not just physically, but emotionally as well. 

So, to summarize, running is an initial investment that can pay off huge dividends if you throw in a little perseverance and hard work!

What mountain are you climbing in your life?

Friday Night is Date Night! Part I: Babysitting Solutions

I thought it would be fun to do a little weekly series every Friday on fun and free/cheap date ideas. My hubby and I do our dates when we can, which is not as often as we like, but we both agree that it's an important part of keeping our marriage strong.

To begin this series, this week I'd like to address the issue of the B-word- BABYSITTING! Because you can't go on a real date with the kids in tow! Date night is all about the one-on-one bonding between you and your spouse, and bringing the kids just really defeats the whole purpose.

Here are our most common babysitting solutions:

1. Family- we are lucky enough to have family close by, and so we use them and abuse them! We try not to use them too often (maybe a couple times a year) but it's a great option because it's a real treat for the kids to spend quality time with a grandma or a favorite aunt and uncle. When we do use family, we usually try to have some good food or other "bonus" that we give them to show our appreciation. Whenever we leave the kids with my mother-in-law when we go on weekend trips we try to bring back a little gift that is unique to the place we visited.

2. Trading with Friends- I have heard of this being done a few different ways, but what works best for us is having one other family who has kids around the same age as ours that we trade with. We take their kids once during the month, they take our kids another time during the month, then we usually keep two weeks free (inevitably things come up and we don't want to be overscheduled). Because our kids are young, we usually do from around 3:30-7:30pm on a Saturday- it's in between naptime and bedtime so there are fewer tantrums! 

Another option for trading with friends is the "Babysitting Co-op" in which 4 (or more?) families rotate turns babysitting- Family A takes all the kids on the first Saturday of the month while Family B, C, and D all have their dates. Then the next week Family B watches all the kids while Family A, C, and D have dates, and so on. I think this would be fine if you don't have too many kids and you don't mind the commitment of every week. We're just afraid of that many kids and being tied to once a week!

3. Trading services- I think that bartering is a great option, especially if you have trusted friends (adult or teenager) that don't have children. You can always find services to offer in return for babysitting, like tutoring or music lessons for a teenager, or cooking, sewing, or grocery shopping for a friend. Don't be afraid to ask!

4. Staying in- Okay, I know this sounds lame, but you might be surprised at the fun things you can do at home with your spouse once the kids are in bed (no, not THAT! That's for after the date! ;-)) Come back next Friday for ideas on Dates at Home!!

It's Date Night- Do you have any unique babysitting solutions or fun and frugal date ideas? Leave a comment!