One Christian Mom: Short Order Cook

Friday, December 12, 2008

Short Order Cook - Part 2

OK, so that backfired! I tried the "if I cook it, you eat it" thing, only offering them cold choices if they didn't want what I cooked. Well, I was the only one eating all week! Today, I asked them what they wanted before I cooked. They had cereal for breakfast, nothing for lunch (my son had an apple) and they asked for spaghetti for dinner. Neither of them ate it, they both looked at it and asked for bacon instead! So, here I am at 6:15 at night, microwaving bacon so that they will eat. They had 3 pieces each already, and asked for more. I am happy that they are eating, but sad that I lost that battle. Tomorrow it will be a battleground as I regain some authority. I know I lost some when I gave in to the eating today, which has always been a source of contention around here.
The good news is my daughter has been nicer today. I haven't given in one inch on anything else, and I think she realizes I am just trying to help her when it comes to the food. She has been, if not an angel, trying to be one :-)
With hope for tomorrow,
One Christian Mom

1 comments:

Beautifulcentury said...: I am sorry that I haven't written back or posted - it's been a hectic week for me too. But I have been reading your posts. You are doing the best you can in a challenging time - please stay encouraged! Sometimes mothering feels like one step forward, three back, but hang in there! Pray without ceasing, even if it's like muttering under our breath as these situations arise. You have really been going through it, eyt clearing the clutter, etc. is a great victory! I am praying with you. YOu asked some questions on my blog re:homeschooling and getting Bible reading in - where's the best place to reply? Beautiful Century; December 14, 2008 1:34 AM

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Frugal Tips

**Still under construction - please check back for more!**

Recently, a lot of people in real life have been asking me about my tips for frugal living. I have gained quite a few of them through the years as our family grows and the cost of living is skyrocketing. This list is ever growing, so check back for updates! If you have a frugal tip, let me know, and I will add it to the list, with credit to you!

TIP #1
The first thing I did was join The Grocery Game at http://www.thegrocerygame.com/. I think it's $10 for three months, but you can save way more than that. You do need to either live in a metropolitian area, or have access to the city's newspaper in order for it to work well. I have saved between 25% to 100% off of grocery items. This works best if you have no brand preference for most items. I only subscribed for the first three months. After that, you pretty much get the gist of the savings plan, and can do it on your own. It basically follows the sales at the stores, and the coupons in the paper. When the store has rock-bottom prices on the item in the coupon, it will tell you to use it. Sometimes the item is free!

TIP #2
Another GREAT tip that most people don't do is cut back on your disposable items in your household. I wrote a post on this sometime last week, I think! :-) I am not just talking about cups and plates, but also paper towels, napkins, even things like yogurt. For the paper products, just replace them with cloth. We bought dishtowels at WalMart for $5 for a package of 6, the initial cost is higher, but you will make that back in a month or two (depending on your family). We use those instead of paper towels. For napkins, we use dishrags, pretty ones! They were also inexpensive, and they wash well. When we have company we break out the "real" cloth napkins, it just looks nicer.

For things like yogurt, milk, etc - buy the larger items, then package it yourself in smaller containers. If you like to take yogurt to work, put some in the small tupperware containers from the large container. That way, you are saving money, and helping keep the earth cleaner by not throwing plastic away every day.

TIP #3
For those of you who have babies, CLOTH DIAPERS! Here is a great site for you to learn about them: http://www.diaperpin.com. There are forums there where you can ask questions, read about others who use them, etc. They also have a rating scale on how well the diapers work for others. I, personally, went with the cheapest option, which was prefolds with covers. You can get quality prefolds for $2 per diaper (if purchased in a dozen) and covers for around $9-$11 each. So for the cost of one month's diapers, you have enough to fit your baby for at least a year. Most people will have to buy two sizes over the baby's diaper-wearing lifetime, but it's still way cheaper than buying diapers to throw in the trash! Also, washing them is easier than you might think. Dump all solids into the toilet. Store wet diapers in a wet-bag or dry diaper pail or trash can. When you wash them, put them on a cold rinse cycle. Then add detergent (home-made, preferably, which I will talk about later) or about 1/4 the amount for commerical detergents and put on a warm wash, cold rinse cycle. Dry on medium in the dryer, or hang to dry! Which leads me to:

Tip #4
Hang-dry your clothes. I can hear it already. "But my complex won't let me have a clothesline!" OK, here are some remedies for that. The first solution is to have a folding rack that you can put outside when you dry your clothes, then take it in when they are dry. Since it's not a permanent fixture, most complexes will allow this. Another solution, which may take longer, is to put your clothes rack up inside near a heater (in the winter) or a fan (in the summer). It may take longer for them do dry, but it has never taken mine longer than a day to dry, and I do about a load a day.

Problem with stiff clothes when you hang? Here are two solutions. The first is to add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the rinse cycle in the washing machine. They won't be as soft as in the dryer, but they will be softer than if you didn't. The second solution is to hang them until almost dry. Then put them in the dryer for 10 minutes. You will never know they were hung to dry, and you will save 80 minutes of drying time in the dryer!

More Tips to Come!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Short Order Cook - Part 2

1 comments:

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