Kitchen Time Saver - Ground Beef in your Crock Pot

Today I thought I would share a great way that I save myself some time (and mess) in the kitchen.

I learned this little trick from a fellow homeschool mom.

When I buy my ground beef (or turkey, or chicken) in larger than 2 pound portions (usually I buy a 3 lb. package), I usually don't want to use it all at once.  I will cook all of it, and then freeze it in smaller portions.

If I don't have the time to watch it on the stove while it cooks (because 3 lbs. can take a little while) I will place it in my crock pot, on low or high, depending how fast I want it to cook.  (This also says my kitchen from the mess of splattering meat on the stove, which sometimes happens!)

Then I break it all apart, and spread it out, so it doesn't cook in big clumps!

Sorry, but raw hamburger doesn't look very appetizing!!!  LOL!

Place the cover on and cook away!

Every once in awhile (I know that is very vague!) I will open it up and stir it around, breaking up more pieces, and making sure it is all getting cooked.

Not quite ready yet....

Once all of the ground beef has cooked (no more pink exposed), you will want to drain all of the grease out of it.  This is the "not so fun" part of it all, but I have a large colander that I place over a large pan, to let the grease drain out.  Sometimes, I will even "rinse" the cooked ground beef with water, to get even more of the grease out of it.

Depending on my meal plan for the week, I will use it or freeze it.  I usually separate it into 1 pound portions, as that is the amount that I will typically be using in a recipe.
Sometimes I will freeze it plain, or I will make it into taco meat first (by adding taco seasoning to it first), or leave some plain, some taco meat, etc.  You get the idea!

How about you?  Do you have a shortcut for preparing ground beef??

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Works For Me Wednesday

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Declutter my papers with a plate rack???!!!!

I have a paper problem...

...and, as you can see, just a small corner of the kitchen is my "office"

I have been searching for quite a while for the perfect way to better organize my "office".  The majority of files that need to be kept (and not accessed all of the time) are downstairs in storage, but I do need a way to keep the rest of the paperwork organized more efficiently.  I did NOT want to spend much money on this either.  So, I had a little "brainstorm".  I thought I might be able to repurpose a plate rack display.  I have seen these often at thrift stores, and never had any use for them as a plate rack, but if I could use them for organizing.....

Jack pot!  I found one for $1.99 at Good Will the other day.

(I'm not quite sure if it technically was a plate rack, but it will work, I think!)

My idea is to get a few more (cute) folders, and organize my "plethora of papers" something like this:

I'm not finished yet....and hope to show you an "after" picture soon!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.


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Time...the gift that I can give today!

Happy Birthday, to my wonderful little mom!  Little, because she really is...she measures (or used to anyway) 5 foot 3 inches tall!  I am 5 foot 9 3/4 inches tall, so she really is my "little" mom!

She is a wonderful mother, wife, sister, grandmother and now even a great grandmother.  I know too, that she was a wonderful daughter, but I never got to see her in the role of "daughter", as both of her parents died before I was even born.

What a blessing it has been to me, that my children have always known their "Mormor", as they call her.  (Swedish for mother's mother.)

She always answers, when asked what she might like for Christmas or her birthday, "you are my present."  I know she means in all sincerity.  And even though, I would love to buy her something expensive and absolutely fabulous, I am unable to do that with our limited resources.

So today, no gift in hand, my youngest and I will take Mormor "out for coffee", and enjoy just being together.




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Works For Me Wednesday






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WFMW: Picture Story Starters for Creative Writing

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I think one of the hardest things to teach my boys has been the writing process.

A simple sentence...not so much.  But teaching the whole process of writing to them has never been, and probably never will be, a strength of mine.

I am a science teacher, majoring in Biology in college.  I am pretty good at math.  Spelling has always come easy to me also.

But, writing...let someone else take care of teaching that....please!  :)

Yesterday, I was thrilled to have one of those, "Yes, this will finally work!" moments.   You see, over the many years I have homeschooled my boys (the older two are in public school now), I have tried several different methods for teaching writing.  Writing is just something I "do"...how in the world do you explain "how" to a little boy???

We read a lot of books aloud.  They read a lot of books to themselves.  Shouldn't they just "get it?"  Well, evidently not.....lol!

After trying several different curriculums...I never found one I loved.
Many other homeschoolers have spoken so highly of "Writing Strands", and others, but again, I just never really loved any of them.

Back to my story from yesterday...  My son asked me to check the lesson he had just finished his grammar workbook (Rod & Staff English 3).  I looked at his page and was shocked to see a ton of writing...not just words, but sentences....and more than just one or 2!  :)  I looked closer and saw the lesson was to create a short story from the pictures shown.  It gave a couple of questions he could answer in the story, if he chose to do so, but he said he didn't need that help!  Haha!

So, two pictures...two tiny little stories!

Needless to say, I was THRILLED!!!

The stories were not perfect.  There were some run-on sentences, and some spelling errors, to name a few...but it is a start!!  Now I have something to work with (I know I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition)!  :)  Yay!

So, what will work for this mother/son--teacher/student duo, will be "picture story starters."  The possibilities are endless.  I have already found some great websites that offer such a thing, including:
Young Writers Workshop
Scholastic Story Starters--online tool
Picture Prompt Story Starters

I also plan on looking through magazines for fun pictures to cut out and use.

He can write his story, and we can edit it from there.

The final copy will include the picture, and will go into a folder of his creative writing.

Yahooooooooooo!!!!

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Works for Me Wednesday...repurposed tea bags!

Believe me...I am NOT a tea connoisseur!

My morning beverage "pick me up", is a fabulous cup (more likely, two) of good strong coffee with half-n-half, of course!

However, I do enjoy a hot cup of tea also.

My favorite tea being, Good Earth Original Caffeine Free Tea!!!

I also like Peppermint Tea, some Chai Tea, Orange and Spice Teas, Lemon Tea, etc...

But here is my dilemma...

I sometimes feel adventurous and decide to branch out and try a new flavor of tea.  Woopee...I'm living on the edge!!!
I end up not liking it, so I try another flavor, and that too, might not be "a winner."


I end up with a pile of tea bags like this:

At that point, I have a few choices:

1.  I can give the tea away (as long as it hasn't been sitting in my cupboard too long). 
2.  I could throw it away (I don't like that option...seems way too wasteful)!
or
3.  Re-purpose the tea by using it as a fragrance for a potpourri pot!  Actually what I have done, is simmer several tea bags on the stove.  If they still are new enough, and I suppose depending on the flavor of the tea, they make your kitchen smell wonderful!  :)

Now I don't have to feel guilty....




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Works for Me Wednesday...no more brown sliced apples!

It's apple season!  What a beautiful time of the year!  Sunshiny days, and cool nights make the apples grow...

I thought I would share a little tip that I learned from my mom. 

If you are slicing apples to be consumed later (child's lunch, fruit salad, etc.) toss them in a little lemon juice, orange juice, any citrus fruit juice will work. 

That is maybe nothing new to any of you...but here is the fun little tip...even Sprite, Sierra Mist, 7-Up and generic lemon-lime soda will work! 

It is the ascorbic acid in the juice that will prevent the apples from browning once they are exposed to the air.  Since all of those citrus juices, and including Sprite, Sierra Mist, 7-Up, etc. have ascorbic acid in them, they prevent (or at least slow down) the browning.

Here is the proof, after only about 15 minutes.
Apples without a "lemon juice bath" (already starting to brown):

 Apples with the "lemon juice bath" (have stayed nice and white):

Give it a try, the next time you are slicing your apples!

That's a tip that Works For Me.  Visit other "Fall Tips" at We are THAT Family. Pin It

Works for Me Wednesday.....planning my curriculum...at the last minute!

Oh boy, here it is almost the end of August and I haven't purchased the curriculum that I need to buy for my 4th grader yet!

It really won't take too long figuring out exactly what I need...it's just a matter of sitting down and doing it!  Haha!

Here are a few items that I know I need to order:

1.  Singapore Primary Math 4A and 4B workbooks (I already own the 4A & 4B textbooks)
2.  Rod and Staff English, Grade 4 workbook (already own the teacher edition)
3.  Wordly Wise 3000, Book 4
4.  Story of the USA to go along with Sonlight U.S. History.

I already have many of the books for:
5.  Science: God’s Design for Life: The World of Plants
6.  Art:  I Can Do All Things, by Barry Stebbing
7.  U.S. History:  Sonlight Intro to American History (One Year Condensed)

How about you?  If you are a homeschooling family, do you have your curriculum ordered, or are you a procrastinator like me?!  :)

Well, it works for me!  See others ideas at Works for Me Wednesday.

And, if you have found me from a link at Kristen's site, you may subscribe to daily updates from 2 Make Ends Meet, if you are interested.  Thank you!  You can also find extra updates and content from me on Facebook and Twitter.


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Works for Me Wednesday.....Weeding my Garden

Sometimes I need an attitude adjustment....


and I will even admit it!  Haha!

This morning, was one of those times.  The day started out just fine, early, but just fine.  I awoke to the alarm at 6 a.m. and finally got up when it rang again at 6:09.  I made my coffee, got dressed and soon after brought my oldest to the high school for his 654 Hoops (aka 6:54 a.m) and weight lifting.

Still fine....

Finished my coffee, ate some cereal....got the call that it was time for me to pick my oldest back up....

Still fine....

Took my shower when I got back home.....did some other things....starting to get annoyed.....the boys had now only been watching TV or playing on the computer, or the ipod Touch.....

Now I was being crabby.....

SO, instead of continuing to take my crabbiness out on them, I decided to go outside and pick my raspberries.

Ahhh...my raspberries!!  I was feeling better already!  The temperature outside was perfect, the sun was shining, the breeze was fabulous.

My sweet little dog was outside too.

She loves when I give her a raspberry or two to eat, which makes me laugh that she will eat them!

Not too many ripe raspberries today, so I went over to my vegetable garden (which never got planted this year because I had to redo the entire thing.)  That didn't stop the weeds from growing!!!  I started to pull weeds....and more weeds....and more weeds....and I didn't even get upset that there are so many because I had a complete attitude adjustment....just from going outside and appreciating the beauty of the day!
Thank you, Lord, for your beautiful world!  and thank you Lord, for helping me with my attitude adjustment!

I came back in, shooed my boys outside, so they could enjoy the weather (and so I could quickly write my post)!!!  :)

Well, as you can see what Works for Me to change my attitude today, is weeding in my garden!

See what Works for others on this beautiful Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

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Works for Me Wednesday...repurposing make up bags

I love Clinique make up, and even though I rarely splurge on their products anymore, my mother still does for me from time to time.  The wonderful thing about Clinique, and I'm sure many other department store makeup companies, are their bonus offers that they make available when you buy a certain amount.

I love getting these bonuses...anything from lipstick to moisturizer, etc.  The fun thing too, are the makeup bags and accessories that come with them.

The downside is that I cannot possibly USE all of these bags....for makeup anyway.

Here comes the repurposing....all it takes is a little creativity.

Here are ways that I have repurposed my plethora of freebie bags:

1.  My camera fits neatly in the following bag.

2.  When my boys were young, .many small bags were filled with Hot Wheels, Little People and more to keep them entertained when we were out.

3.  These small bags are great for small pads of paper and crayons and/or markers inside...again to have on hand when needed for little ones.

4.  Sunglasses, or reading glasses would fit nicely in the same one I use for my camera.

How about you?  Have you repurposed these bags too??

This Works for Me!  You can read other Works for Me Wednesday posts at We are That Family. Pin It

Secret Code Words....for families

Our boys are growing up right before our eyes!!!!  As they grow up, life takes them away from us more and more.  It's hard to come to the realization that we are preparing them to one day leave our home and follow the plan that God has for them, but we know that is how it is supposed to be!!!
Lately, my husband and I have been chatting with our oldest about certain things....growing up, making choices, and possibly finding himself in situations that he might not want to be in, or shouldn't be in (irresponsible behavior, underage drinking, etc.)... we talked about "guilt by association", and more...

My husband told our oldest that if he found himself needing to get out of a situation that was not good, he could (and should) always call us if he needed us to pick him up.

As I was getting ready this morning, I recalled a great idea that I had heard in the past.  (Forgive me for not remembering who to give the credit to, but I think I have heard more than one person talk about doing something like this anyway.)
The great idea is to have a family code word that you have all decided upon....that code word would mean "please come and pick me up...I need to get out of the situation!"
They could text it to you, or call you....no questions asked, but know that mom or dad better go and "rescue" their child.
Having a "code word or phrase" might help them actually use it, instead of calling, "Mom, could you please pick me up...I want to leave now...."

Now, hopefully my boys will never have to use this code word....hopefully they will always pick good friends and make good choices.  That is what I pray for, as a parent.  But, I think it is better to be prepared.  Unfortunately, even "good kids" make mistakes, as we all do!



Code words don't have to be just for use in this type of situation....when my husband and I were engaged, he came up with a code "phrase" that meant "I love you".  So romantic!  I'm not going to tell you what it is, because it is still our "secret code word."  :)

Do you have secret code words in your family?

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Works for Me Wednesday...kitchen cabinet knobs

Well, as many of you know, my husband and I successfully installed laminate flooring in our kitchen about a month ago!

Have I told you, I love it????  (I think I have!)

The danger of getting something new however, just exaggerates the "oldness" of things that surround the new item....my cupboards were now screaming, "I am getting worn out!!!!" at me.  What to do?  Obviously, we weren't going to replace them, and truthfully, they aren't THAT bad....but they needed a little "pizzazz".  I do have a deep down desire to paint them....I have seen some gorgeous DIY before & after pictures of cupboards that people have dared to paint, even my in-laws have done this (but I knew there was a LOT of work involved).

So, after talking with a few others about this dilemma, I opted for new cabinet knobs!!!

I was a little hesitant to even add knobs, since our kitchen cabinets have the 90's look of "no knobs", and once added, I would always have to have knobs or have a hole in my door.

I found cute knobs that I liked pretty well (even better, they were on clearance at Super Target) and I could do my upper cabinets for under $12!!!!  :)

And once the project was started, it was finished in less than a half hour!!!!

A very cheap and easy project, but gives just a little more "newness" to my "old" cabinets!

It's what "Works for Me", and you can see other ideas at We are THAT family.

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Saving $$ by Cutting my Boys' Hair!!!

I wish I would have kept track of how many haircuts I have given my boys through the years!!  I would have been able to figure out just how much money I have saved by doing so!!!!  Oh well!

I didn't start cutting their hair from the beginning, but was inspired to do so because my cousin had been successfully cutting her boys' hair for a long time.

My boys liked having "buzz cuts" anyway....what could be so hard about it????

With my cousin's encouragement and advice, I bought a pair of clippers at Walmart.  I don't even remember who was the "guinea pig"....probably my oldest, who is now 14!  :)
With each haircut, I got the "hang of it" more and more.  The clippers come with a booklet that explains how to cut hair, and I think I even checked out a video from our library on haircutting.  Now you can just "google" (or use my preferred search method, Swagbucks), and find many "how to cut hair" videos online.

A couple of years later, I even won my latest pair of clippers, at the Mall of America!  Yay!  :)

Wahl 79900B Clip-N-Trim 23-Piece Complete Haircut Kit is the one I won, and it works just great for our family.











It can be messy, but thankfully as my boys have gotten older, they tolerate the itchiness during the hair cut more and more!!!  My favorite time of the year to cut hair, however, is in the summer.  I just set up my "salon" on our deck and begin to trim away....the hair gets blown away in the wind!  Heehee!  That makes for easy clean up!  :)

I try to cut their hair whenever possible, but sometimes I just don't have the time to fit it in and they go to Great Clips (with a coupon, of course).  They have told me more than once that they would rather have me cut their hair....
some day, that may change, but for now I am enjoying the $$ saved, and the fact that they "want Mom to cut their hair"!!!!  :)


If you want to give it a try, many stores carry hair clippers.

Do you save $$$ by cutting hair at home???

I have linked this to:
Frugal Friday
Works for Me Wednesday

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Easy Cookie Crumb Cleanup!!!

Today's "Works for Me" post is actually what "Works for my Mom", but I use it too (when I remember to)!!!!

I will be baking some more cookies today so I thought I would share a simple way to keep your kitchen a little cleaner while you are baking!  It cuts down on a step of cleanup!  That is always good!  :)

When I am baking cookies, I place my cooling rack over the kitchen sink (mine is a Pampered Chef wire rack that fits perfectly over one section of my sink).  When I place the cookies on the rack to cool, the cookie crumbs fall into the sink, and not on my counter top. 

Much easier clean up!!!!

Thanks Mom, for your great idea!  :)


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Frugal Homemade Drink Mixes

There is just something about the coziness of a warm cup of cocoa, or tea on a chilly day!!  My kids love to play outside in the winter, and then almost always want a cup of cocoa, when they come inside!

But then again, who doesn't love a cup of cocoa???  LOL!!!

I certainly have bought my share of pre-made hot cocoa packets, but also love to make my own.  The ingredients are healthier and it saves quite a bit of money too.

We also love to have Spiced Tea (or Russian Tea) mixes available.  Even kids like this kind of tea!  :)

Here are a couple of our favorites:

Hot Cocoa Mix (needs to be added to milk)

Hot Chocolate Mix (can be added to water or milk)
*4 cups powdered milk
*1 cup unsweetened cocoa
*2 cups sugar
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. instant coffee (optional)
Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container.  Add 1/4 cup per 1 cup boiling water.



Spiced Tea
*1 cup Tang
*1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. instant unsweetened tea (decaf is fine too)
*1/4 cup sugar
*3 tbsp. powder lemonade mix
*1/4 tsp. ground cloves
*1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together.  To make one cup, add 2 heaping teaspoonfuls to hot water.
***I have also experimented with this recipe....it seems to work fine to replace the tea, sugar, and powdered lemonade mix with instant lemon sweetened tea (about 3/4 cup).  That makes the preparation even easier!  :)





Another wonderful mix is for Chai Tea from Crystal, at the Family Homestead.  (I substitute granulated sugar for cane juice crystals.)  I gave this mix as Christmas gifts one year!  :)



Do you have a favorite???

This is what Works for Me.  To find out what works for others, check out We are THAT Family.

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Saving $$$ on what you already are buying....

My intention in writing about the frugalness in our house, is to encourage you to save money in ways you may not have thought of before.

I NEVER want to encourage you to spend money on something you weren't planning on buying.

BUT...I do want you to think about how to get the most for your money on things you were going to buy anyway!!!

Am I making sense?

I know I have mentioned some of these ways that we save money before, but thought they were worth repeating, especially now that some of you have only started reading my blog recently.  (Thank you, by the way!)  :)

***I LOVE Kwik Trip!!!!  I am sorry if you don't have a Kwik Trip by you! They are currently only located in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.  See if there is a location near you.
By using the Kwik Trip credit card (which we pay off each month) we earn cash back each quarter!  We buy our gas, milk in bags (best price anywhere), bread ('cause I can't always make my own), bananas, and sometimes butter and eggs.  We usually receive a $30 gift certificate/quarter to be used for buying more gas, milk, etc.

This is what I am talking about....taking advantage of the loyalty programs that your stores are offering you.  Don't buy more, just make sure you are being proactive in being a smart shopper!  :)

I know that Super America offers rewards.  Any others you use?

***I LOVE Target!!!!  We used to have a Target credit card and.....we ended up shredding it when we took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. :)

BUT, I just got a new one and let me explain why....

Target gives me 5% back on my purchases AT THE REGISTER!!!!

Here's why this will work for me:
*I shop at Target all of the time anyway.  They consistently have the cheapest prices on groceries (excluding milk, of course, that I buy at Kwik Trip.)
*I can buy my items on the credit card, getting my 5% back, and go straight to the customer service counter  and pay the bill off, if I so choose to do so right away.

Again, I am getting the most for my money on things that I will be buying anyway....

Here are some online ways to save and earn rewards and cash back:
***If you have been reading me for some time now, it is not a surprise that I LOVE Swagbucks!  This is a way to earn rewards WITHOUT spending any money!  Look at my previous posts on Swagbucks to learn more.  I have earned $60 of Amazon gift cards since February.  :)  If you sign up, and take advantage of all the ways to earn (including inviting friends to sign up with your code) you too can earn great rewards!  :)



***Another online way to earn without having to spend any money is MyPoints.  Earning points here is as easy as checking out an e-mail offer.  I have earned Subway, Starbucks and Panera gift cards with MyPoints.

***Ebates is a site that I have just joined and will consider doing some comparison shopping on it to see if it will be worth ordering any Christmas presents through their site.  I have seen people talk about loving Ebates, because they earn cash back and not points.

All 3 of these sites can be used to earn money, points, and/or rewards by shopping online.  So, IF you were planning on shopping online for any gifts, it might be well worth checking out these sites, to see the cash back offers they have and IF it makes sense to purchase through them.

Some other offers I have heard of this holiday season also include:
***Walmart---use their credit card as it is offering up to 1% cash back on purchases and savings on gas
***ToysRUs---offering 10% back now through Dec.24 with Rewards R Us
***Amazon---offering huge discounts of 25% and more on select toys right now (often free shipping too)

So, with a little thought, you can save on what you are buying or planning to buy anyway!  :)

I hope what Works for Me, has been a help for you!  (More Works for Me Wednesday posts here.)

Please note there are several affiliate links included in this post, but in no way does it influence my opinion.  :)

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Christmas Gift Giving...what works for me!

 

Now that it is the beginning of November, I probably need to at least start thinking a "little" bit about Christmas gifts this year.  I love Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Savior!!   I also love giving gifts to my loved ones, but I must admit...it can be a little stressful. 

One thing that we started doing quite a few years back, has become a wonderful tradition.  A dear friend, that was in our homeschool co-op for many years, told me about something her family did.  It helps to keep the focus too, on the birth of Jesus.  I loved the idea and have been using it ever since!  :)

She too, has 3 boys.  (That is beside the point because this works with anyone!)  ;)  

How many gifts did the wise men bring to baby Jesus in the manger?  Three....gold, frankincense and myrrh.

This is part of a nativity we got as a wedding gift!

How many gifts do our boys get from Mom and Dad for Christmas now?  Three....a "spiritual" gift, a "practical" gift and a "fun" gift.  Three gifts...with some meaning, purpose and thought!  I love it!!! 

*The "spiritual" gift (frankincense) is often a Christian book, DVD or music.  There would be other options, I'm sure.

*The "practical" gift (myrrh) is a great way to give them a new hooded sweatshirt, or flannel sheets....usually something they need.

*The "fun" gift (gold) is a toy, or now that they are getting older,  I'm not sure!!!!  LOL!!!  :)

We still do "stockings" on Christmas morning and will maybe put gum, candy, and small items in them as well.

This has worked so well for our family.  Our boys truly love this too.  They talk about, "I wonder what my gold gift will be..."  or "I hope I get ______ for my frankincense gift this year."

This is what works for me, and actually I have bought one present already!!!!  Yay!!

To see other Works For Me Wednesday posts, visit at We are That Family.

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An Organizational Tip....a bill schedule.

Here is something that works well for me to keep track of paying our bills.  My husband created this for me several years back, and it has been a way for me to manage bill payment.  It works fabulous, IF I use it!  :)  I know that sounds strange, but sometimes I still don't use the organizational tools I have in place!  :(

Anyway, we have it set up to pay bills on the 1st and 15th of the month.  Some of the bills are paid online, and some are still sent in by mail.  A few of our bills are automatic withdrawal. After a bill has been paid, I check it off.  Bills vary from month to month, also.  Some of our bills are due every other month.  He has listed them all, and then I just cross off a bill that is not due for the current month.

Here is the simple form that my husband created for me:

Let me know if any of you would be interested in a generic form of this schedule.  If so, maybe my husband could create one that you can download.  :)
UPDATE:  Click here for a Word compatible document ---the original PDF my husband created looks better than this---I had trouble with GoogleDocs converting it for me.  Let me know if this Word compatible document works for you, please.  Thanks!  :)
Another option is to use the FREE online money management of Mint.com . 

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Limiting milk consumption???? A frugal answer....

Well, so far so good....we have been able to eat from what we have on hand!  AND, no one is starving!  Heehee!  The exception for us, of course, is that we have bought milk....it is VERY hard to keep well stocked with milk.  Which brings up something I have been thinking about and discussing with a few dear friends.

As I have been trying to cut corners, and trying to figure out why our money seems to be evaporating right out from under us, it occurs to me that we are spending much more money on milk....I am starting to think that I need to limit my boys' milk consumption.  One boy in particular, not to be named here :) drinks milk like water.  My friends (one of which was a registered dietician in her life before kids) thinks that I certainly can check the RDA for milk requirements and stick with that....they can drink water! 

Okay, so what is the RDA for milk for growing boys????  According the the new USDA Food Guide Pyramid, it is 2 cups for children ages 2 - 8, and 3 cups for up to age 11.  (By the way, there are lots of cool resources to help teach you and your children about healthy eating!!!!)
I found another resource that breaks it down into the amount of calcium needed per age.  Milk Matters recommends 1300 g of calcium for 9 - 18 year olds (which can be accomplished with 3 cups of milk and adding other calcium rich foods to their diet.)

So, do I put a little checklist on my fridge, and they document when they drink a cup???  I might have to get a little creative with this new idea!!!!  :)

Okay, I want to hear some feedback from all of you, dear readers!!!  What do you think?


This might just have to be what Works for Me!!!  For other Works for Me Wednesday posts visit We are That Family. Pin It

Great Kids' Website for Bible stories, games and more!

Thank you to my mom for telling me about this one!!!  :)

When I was growing up, I always loved listening to Saturday morning childrens' programming on KTIS, our local Christian radio station.  They had programs like Uncle Charlie, Sugar Creek Gang and more.

My mom told me the other day that she heard Uncle Charlie on the radio again.  He talked about a website especially for kids to visit.  I finally remembered to look at it last week.  It is great!  The main website is CBH Ministries.  It has a lot to offer on it. 

My 3rd grader listens to the daily devotional called "Keys for Kids" and the part that he really enjoys doing is the daily Bible lesson at Camp Be-On-Key at itoadu.com.  As he completes lessons (which includes looking up Bible verses), he unlocks more games to play! 

We have been able to include this in our homeschool schedule...doing these lessons, and working on his Awana Bible verses are his Bible portion of school, for now anyway.

This is not a formal program, but it Works for Me!!!

To find what works for others, visit Works for Me Wednesdays at We Are That Family. Pin It

Ripping Out UGLY vinyl flooring!

I loved my vinyl flooring when we had our house built 12 years ago!

I chose beautiful sparkling white!  White carpet, white couches....it was all so pristine!

We only had one little boy at the time...why not white?

My husband always gently reminds me that I was the one who wanted white.....I STILL love white, but over the years, 3 boys, and one little WHITE dog later....

...the words dull and yellow come to mind.

So, out goes the vinyl flooring....I could have dealt with the "not so white" look on the floor anymore, but we also had holes....a can dropped here, a metal stool that lost a rubber end and gouged the floor there, a puppy that thought that was a good place to chew.....the list goes on.



The big boys went to school yesterday.  My "baby boy" and I started ripping up the floor!

I asked my darling husband beforehand, if he minded if we ripped it up.  "Go for it," were his words to me.  That's all the incentive I needed.

Now, we don't have immediate plans for replacing the flooring.  Actually, I think I will try staining/painting the subfloor.  It has a beautiful wood grain to it.  It HAS to be better than what we just ripped up!!!!  If you have any advice or encouragement for me, I would love to hear it!!!  :)

So, that is what Works For Me!  Check out more Works for Me Wednesday posts at We Are That Family.

Stay tuned for updates on how my kitchen floor looks.... Pin It