Life Takes Over

Hi Everyone!

I have not been able to update my blog lately because life has just plain been too hectic...

Hubby has been in the hospital about 2 weeks of the last 2 1/2. He started with an infection in his leg and then got pnumonia. While in the hospital our youngest son came down with the flu. Then our oldest son was fortunate enough to get it! All the while I came down with a horrible cold. We are starting to wonder what else can happen in our lives... Geez...

I have to admit that hospital and illness is just plain not frugal. There is the time, the gas and more of an issue for me - convenience foods - because the last thing I want to do at the end of a long day is cook. Heck, as DH and my kids can attest to, the last thing I ever want to do at the end of the day is cook. :)

So, March ended up being not the most frugal month of the year. So, now we will try and improve on April. Gotta move forward.

Thankfully I have been stocking up pretty well lately and won't have a lot of cash needed for groceries and house stuff this month.

What's your plan for April?

The Great Grocery Store Game

Do you use a pantry and stock-up? Shop weekly, monthly, bi-monthly?

Here at the Hentsch household we make a monthly trip up into Oregon to do the major stock-ups. People ask what that trip usually entails. Here's a quick run-down:

Grocery Outlet: Things like shampoo, deodorant, chocolate chips, mixes, pasta, mustard, ketchup, and that sort of thing. Things I find cheaper there than anywhere else.

Costco: Bottled water - 24 liter bottles for $3.86 and NO CRV! All of our cheese for a month, 4 boxes of yogurt cups for DH for the month, pepperoni for when I make pizza, frozen burritos for Jason (who eats little else...), chicken breasts, marinated pork tenderloin, ziplock bags, sugar-free coco, coffee, coffee and more coffee. :) I buy any fruit/veggies that look good and look like they will last a while.

Food 4 Less: Meat for a month which is generally a ham or two, maybe some pork, these huge 10 lb beef hunks that we make into roast, steaks and stew/chili meat, and 7% fat hamburger. I also buy olives, cereal, margarine tub and sticks, rice, pastas that G.O. doesn't have, and any canned goods we need that are cheaper than I can find at WalMart - like tomato sauce, etc...

Also, they have the BEST prices on fruits and veggies but not always the best quality. It takes some digging but I can find good buys. This last month onions were $0.19 a pound - I bought about 15-20 pounds of them! Onions here locally have been $0.79-0.99 as long as I can remember! And they keep.

Locally I buy fruits, veggies, salad stuff, milk and bread.

From WalMart I generally buy BBQ Sauce, canned stuff, bread, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning/laundry stuff, cat food/litter and other toiletries.

From the feed store we buy feed for all of the animals and a High-Pro dog food.

I don't use coupons unless there is one in the store or something because we don't get any newspapers or magazines that have them.

I do try and buy healthy as much as possible. I am not one for "organic" but I will say that rather than buy things that are processed for the most part we cook/bake from scratch.

When we want junk-food I will make a cake or cookies or something like that.

The only time we really eat out is if we are out in town late at night or for me at lunch time. I need to get out of here sometimes, especially on "little kid" days at our school. They drive me nuts and I need quiet... :)

Use a Pantry To Save On Groceries

One of the best ways we have found to save on our grocery/household expenses is by using the pantry system.

We buy items when they are on sale and stock our own little "grocery store" in the house. When we run out of something we shop in our pantry and then restock next time there is a good sale. This insures that we do not have to make trips to the store (25 miles one way from our rural home) and it insures that we always pay the lowest possible price for the items we reguarly buy.

When times are lean, you have unexpected expenses, illness, etc... then you have a "stockpile" where you can live out of for a while with little to no cash outlay.

We do not stock things for an "emergency" but rather rely on our pantry to get us through the times where we cannot shop for whatever reason.

When you use a pantry it is important to rotate what you buy and use the oldest items first. This insures that you do not have to throw things out because they spoil.

Do you use a pantry?

Saving Money on Books

While I love public libraries, I happen to live a long way from one. This and working M-F makes using the library a challenge!

Long ago I fell in love with thrift stores. They have lots of odd objects, great clothing (especially for kids!) and tons of books. I love nothing more than to find a copy of a book for $0.25. I wanted to read both "Nickle & Dimed" and "The Millionaire Next Door" and happened upon them both at a local thrift store for $0.25 each. I bought them, read them at my leisure, and then donated them back. Low cost, as much time as I wanted to read them, and no clutter! :)

I also happen to love to book shop on eBay, Half.com, Amazon, Costco and places like that. Can't tell you the last time I paid "retail" for a book.

Do You Have Goals In Your Life?

Setting goals in your life is a very powerful thing. Having a goal and a plan gets you where you want to go. If you have a goal, but no plan to attain it, then you have a dream. Dreaming is fine, for dreaming sake, but if you want to see it come to fruition then you need a plan.

I found this wonderful resource on the web to help us all set and attain our goals. Check it out and let me know what you think about it. What are your goals?

http://www.commuteinyourjammies.com/Setting-Goals.pdf

Change Is Always Scary

There is one thing in life that never seems to change. That is - change happens. We move, we grow, we experience, and daily our lives change. Sometimes change is great, sometimes it's good, and sometimes it just plain sucks. But, the one thing we can always count on is change.

What are you changing today in your life? Post me a comment and let me know!

And, while you are at it please comment on my color changes here on the blog. I have little color-sense and worry about clashing. But, I hated the dark template colors so a change was really necessary! :)