Update - budget in tact...sort of.

So I've been doing amazingly well at not going to the grocery store this month!  I have enough food to feed an army in my kitchen and a great menu planned.  The only problem?  I can't seem to cook when D is out of town!  What on earth is wrong with me?!  I have cooked several meals from the menu, but I've also relied on convenience foods from the freezer, which I really wanted to stay away from!  At least I'm not eating out every night, right?  I think one of my problems is that I have so many new recipes on the menu and I keep thinking that D would really like them, so I want to wait until he's home.  Right now, I'm still under $200 for a month's worth of groceries, though I will need to head to the store for milk and eggs.  I'm probably going to just make a few loaves of bread instead of buying them.  That will save me a few bucks, plus it will be healthier and taste better.

For anyone else doing the challenge - how are you doing?  Are you struggling with anything?  Any tips for the rest of us?

My attempt at frugality

So as I mentioned before, a group of my friends is doing a challenge this month. We are trying to eat out of our pantries without buying much more. The idea is to use up what you already have on hand, which will both save money and cause you to waste less food.

I began this challenge by pulling everything out of my pantry, taking inventory and organizing everything. Then I went online, visited several awesome blogs to get frugal ideas and recipes and made a menu for the entire month. So far, I've tried some awesome recipes and fell in love with several blogs in the process. A few of my favorite new recipes all came from Mommy's Kitchen, a blog started by Tina, who is a mom after my own heart! She is passing her love of cooking down to her kids and in the mean time making GREAT family friendly food! Another great blog to check out is Life as a Mom. You can check out details of the challenge my friends and I are doing there.

An unexpected bonus of printing out a 31 entree menu is that I can show the list to my husband and he can choose what he wants me to make! While I did come up with the menu items, I don't have to make the final decision every single day on my own any more. Ahhh, such sweet relief!

Last night I made my final run to the grocery store for the month (I hope!). So far this month, I have spent less than $200 on groceries for the entire month! Our average grocery bill is about $600 a month, not counting eating out. I really hope to keep this up for the entire year. I know most months I will spend more than $200 because I won't have my pantry stocked like I did this month. But with the help of my friends and a few frugal bloggers, I should have my budget in a healthy place for 2010!

Welcome to 2010!

Wow, already a new year. A new decade. A fresh start, right? Isn't that how we are all supposed to view the "new year?" Time to find that resolution - now is the time to eat healthy, get fit, organize your house, save money, basically be a better person. Right? Right. And really, I guess this is as good a time as any to really sit and focus on what your life is. What direction are you going? Is it a good path? Will it lead you to where you want to be in the end?

This year, more than others I've been trying to gain some insight into what my real life goals are. Probably my number one goal - to be a good representative of Christ. Of his mission here. I wonder if other people see Christ in me, if they see goodness, faithfulness, love.

Another area I have thought about is my family. Am I the best wife I could be? 2009 kind of sucked in my marriage, if I'm being honest. I have to own up to my part in that. And I'm sure my mothering could sure use some work, too. Was I too harsh, not stern enough? Did I show my children that I love them every single day?

The third area I want to focus on in 2010 is my body. If you listen to the old adage that says your body is a temple... youch. I'm not very respectful of that temple! I want to get healthy this year - slow, small changes will add up to big success in this area, I think.

And the final area of my life filled with resolutions - money. UGH Wouldn't everyone rather just spend money on all the fun stuff without regard to their mortgage, electric or water bill or health costs? I sure would! Instead, I'm taking part in a challenge this month with some friends. This month we are going to "eat out of our pantries" and REALLY cut down on our grocery bills. I love a good challenge, so this should start the year off right for me. I am going to adopt the envelope system for groceries, gas and eating out/entertainment. The weekly budget will be put in the envelopes, and when the cash is gone, it's gone! This will lead to greater savings and less stress for me!

Ok, and one last goal. To blog. Seriously - the amount of time between my blog posts is ridiculous. I'll set this as a bookmark on my new computer and will blog at least once a week. Could be about the boys, the MOFIA, budgeting/couponing, crafts - who knows. But I'll be here!