What would be a Home Management Binder without a Menu Planning section? Check out this post for some Menu Planning tips and tricks if you are still new to the game.

This section is still a work in progress. My goal when it is finished is to have a complete Master Grocery List, and a Monthly Menu Plan to fall back on–in those busy, crazy times when I just do not have the time to come up with a plan.

This is my the cover page for this section. Feel free to Click Here and print yours.

Behind my cover page is extra notebook paper for me to write down meals, side dishes or desserts that I come across during the day, that I want to try. If I find them on the internet, I will either save them in my favorites or Stumble them so I can find them later. If I find it in a cookbook, I will go ahead and write down the cookbook and the page so I can easily find it again, when it makes “the plan.”

After the notebook paper, I have the always-work-in-progress Master Grocery List. Just when I think I have it down, I think of something else, or decide to do something differently. My goal with this list is to incude everything that I buy on a regular basis, as well as price points that I consider to be a good stock up price. I’ve just recently re-done the one I was using, and I’m not so sure that this is exactly what I am looking for either. I found my current template off of our Excel Program, and have just went in and customized it to work for me.

I’ve also included a few extra Weekly Menu Plan sheets just in case I am able to fill it in before the week comes up. I’m currently using the free printable that MomAdvice offers, but Orgjunkie recently linked to a bunch of menu printables and I think I found a new one that I might like better.

Once the current plan is figured out, it gets transferred to my dry erase board that is displayed on my refrigerator. I’ve really come to love this thing–it is much better than the calendar system I used to use. Plus, it is pretty! I found it at Wal-Mart for $1, up by the cash registers. If you are unable to find one–I have a few extra.

Nothing too complicated, which makes it easy for me to keep with it. I was hoping to have my Master Grocery List and Monthly Meal Plan completed to share, but I’m just not quite there. Yet.

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Home Management Binder: Menu Planning/Master Grocery List is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

A clean home is an incredibly inviting, welcoming place to be, although at times it can be daunting to clean it all. In addition to it being daunting, all the tasks are oftentimes hard to remember. I’ve often found myself lost and confused as to what needed to be done daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly. The Cleaning List Section in my binder was created to fix this, and help me to stay on top of all the tasks. In the end hoping that I would have a clean, inviting home, without getting overwhelmed while attaining it.

Click the picture to download and print.

Free Download! Cleaning List section page for your Home Management Binder.

Then I needed to come up with a cleaning schedule, but first I needed to decide what needed to be done, when.

What needs to be done daily?

Multiple loads of laundry, unloading/loading the dishwasher, general pick-up.

What needs t0 be done Weekly?

Things like paper clutter, taking in donations, washing sheets, and cleaning out the refrigerator.

What about Monthly?

Dusting ceiling fans, washing the windows, removing cobwebs, etc.

What about Seasonal Touch-ups and Forgotten Things?

Touch up paint, declutter room by room, dryer vents, smoke detector, etc.

Then I needed to come up with a checklist that would help me to remember when these tasks needed to be completed.

Click picture to download and print.

Click picture to download and print.

Click picture to download and print.

The first 2 are cleaning lists, mostly for a month to month basis. I use the middle one, as it also has some non-cleaning tasks thrown in, as a reminder.  The third one is an in-depth home maintenance/seasonal cleaning checklist and is rather thorough, yet very beneficial.  It covers both interior and exterior parts of your home and is even broken up into Quarters and Seasons.

After I had all parts of my home covered and accounted for and broken up, I had to make sure that I would be able to come up with a system that allowed me to get these tasks done. After all that is the whole purpose, right?

Right now, I write my daily tasks on my To-Do List on their corresponding days (You can see more of that, here). If, when I have all of the that days tasks filled in and scheduled, I still have a time slot available, I add in a monthly task in. If I am able to complete a monthly task, I put a check mark next to that task on the sheet protector with a dry erase marker. When the next month rolls around, I am then able to erase all my marks and start anew. I do have the complex home maintenance schedule in my binder, but haven’t even had the chance to implement it yet. But, I’m thinking that it will run just about the same way.

I decided not to include an actual detailed daily task list, because I found it too complex to include my every task in a day. I’m hoping that in my absense, the person that was stepping in for me would know that I load/unload the dishwasher daily (or atleast when needed).

Do you have a Cleaning Schedule? I would love to see it!

If not, now is the time to set one up. Feel free to print off the forms in this post, or create your own. Take pictures, make a post and link up! Let’s get Organized!

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Home Management Binder: Cleaning Lists is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

If you would have told me a year or so ago that my family would be relying on a local farmer for our milk, I would have called you crazy. My naive mind thought that store bought was the way to go. Obviously not with just milk, either. But boy has my mind been changed!

The more I look into what is really in (or in some cases, what isn’t in) store bought food, the more I want to avoid it. We’ve switched to homemade bread products made with fresh ground wheat, homemade snacks, and I grow and preserve as much food as I can. Other than finding a good meat source (which I think I have already) the only thing I needed to do something about was our dairy products.

I’m not going lie. This was a very hard decision for me. It took many, many months for me to finally jump in and do it. And really, it wasn’t me that did it, the farmer did. They had some extra milk, and wanted to know if I wanted it. If I didn’t, it would be poured down the drain. Not being one to waste, I jumped on it, and I haven’t looked back. The family loves it!

Benefits of Raw Milk

1. During the pasteurization process, milk store bough milk loses roughly 60% of it’s calcium.

2. In addition to losing that much calcium, it loses all of it’s phosphate. Doesn’t sound too important–but it is! Phosphate helps your body to absorb (or use) the calcium.

3. Raw Milk is higher in B12 (here is great article on the importance of Vitamin B12)and Vitamin C, as well as many other vitamins that are completely destroyed by the pasteurization process.

4. Raw milk contains beneficial enzymes and amino acids that aid in digestion and vitamin absorption.

5. Many “lactose intolerant” people are able to drink Raw Milk because it is easier to digest.

6. Store bought milk goes rancid, where as raw milk just sours. Sour milk can still be used in baking; makes great muffins, breads and pancakes.

7. We skim off the cream on some of our gallons, and I use it to make butter, or for my coffee. 2 birds with one stone.

8. Less is more. Raw Milk will fill you up faster since it still has all of the nutrients and cream.

9. Raw Milk tastes so much better.

Things to keep in mind: Only buy from farmers that feed their cattle green grass and that do not use antibiotics. Also make sure that the farm is clean, and that the milk is stored correctly.

These fancy processes that our food goes through isn’t necessarily a good thing! I’ve come to really love Sally Fallon’s book Nourishing Traditions. It is a definite eye opener, and it will change the way you look at food.

Taking a closer look at real nutrition, which was one of my 2009 goals, and finally switching my family to raw milk works for me! There is no turning back for us!

This post is being linked to Works For Me Wednesday

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Benefits of Raw Milk is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

• Smoothies. I always toss in some wheat germ and flax seed for good measure!
• Yogurt. I just made my first ever batch of homemade yogurt, hopefully I will be able to convert them! So much healthier.
• Cereal. I’m not much of a cereal fan for breakfast, so I let my kids grab a handful of their favorites for snacks. Corn Pops, Bluebery Muffin Tops, Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks and Honey Nut Cheerios are our favorites. They thought they were in heaven when I bought Cocoa Puffs for them a few weeks ago!
• Hummus w/HM Pita Bread or carrot sticks.
• Fresh Fruit.
• Chopped Veggies. My daughter could live off of cucumbers and cherry tomatoes!
• Milkshakes. This is a rarity, but they love it when I make Chocolate Peanut Butter Shakes.
• Apples with Caramel Dip. (Cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla) This was always my favorite growing up.
• Home baked snacks. The possiblities are basically endless here, just depends on what I’ve made for the week. We love HM Banana Bread, muffins of any form (they are stuck on Strawberry Muffins right now), and of course cookies. Since they are homemade, I generally try to sneak in some whole wheat flour, flax or wheat germ. You can find some of my recipes under the Recipe Label.
• Granola Bars.
• Granola/Yogurt
• Cheese and Crackers.
• Sweet Pickles
• Jalapeno Jelly w/cream cheee on Wheat Thins. Sounds crazy, but it is oh so good!
• I came across an idea recently from Parenting.com that I can’t wait to try. They took cream cheese and jam (homemade would be perfect), mixed it together and spread it on a graham cracker. Yum!
• Family Fun also has some really great ideas that are not your normal after school snack. I can’t wait to try the Peanut Butter Balls or the Cookies and Milk Bars (don’t forget that you can make your own Sweetened Condensed Milk for these.) You can find more of their recipes here.

What do you give your kids for After School Snacks??

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After School Snacks: Finding Freedom Friday is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

• Leftovers. My oldest could live off of cold leftovers, especially pizza and lasagna. While it weirds me out just a tad, he is a-okay with it, and since it is frugal..I guess I am, too.
• PB & J on HM WW Bread.
• Homemade Lunchables. You do know that they are waaayyy cheaper to just buy your own crackers, cheese, and lunchmeat, right?? We don’t do this very often because my piglets could eat their weight in them. No matter what else I serve with them.
• Tortilla Wrap Sandwiches. Something about serving a regular sandwich on tortilla bread, as my kids call it, just makes it extra special. For even more fun, slice them into disks, then pack them. The fillings of these are endless! My mom used to make one with Roast Beef, lettuce, and a pickle/cream cheese mixture. Yummo!
• Soups in a thermos
• Lunch Meat/Tuna sandwiches loaded with veggies. Tuna can be fairly frugal as long as you don’t go overboard with your servings. In additon to your meat, load it up with veggies your kids love, not only to pack in nutrition, but to bulk it u. You can use less meat this way.
• Corn Dog Muffins
• Cheeseburger Muffins.

For sides/snacks:

• HM Granola bars.
• HM Granola and yogurt.
• Oatmeal Raisin cookies
• HM Trail/Snack Mix
• Applesauce (home canned is the best!)
• Of course fresh fruit.
• Smoothies. My husband packs these all the time. I make up a blender full (throwing in some wheat germ and ground flax) and freeze them in small containers. He packs them in his lunch box. When lunch comes, they have thawed a bit, and are perfect!

Don’t forget to tuck a note in and let your little one know you love them!

What are your favorite things to pack?

°Feel free to link up to your post, not your homepage. And don’t forget to link back here, so your readers can see all the other ideas!

Other posts of interest:

• Easy Travel Snacks/Meals

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Packable Kids Lunches: Finding Freedom Friday is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

The summer has flown by, and sadly school season is soon to start. I haven’t accomplised half of the things I wanted to by summers end this year, but that is probably a good thing. This summer has been absolutely crazy–I can’t imagine packing it with anymore. I’m really looking forward to the weeks to come so that I can relax, breathe a bit, and get back into our normal routine of things around here.

Unfortunately with a new school year approaching, that means new school supplies and usually a new wardrobe. Oftentimes we focus too much on the stuff and not the purpose, and in the process end up with “things” and spend far too much money. Just because it is school season doesn’t mean you have to break the bank!

Here are my tips to saving:

• Reuse school supplies. Now I don’t mean make your children use the same dingy crayons from last year–I may be frugal, but I’m not cheap and out to embarass my kids! Some ideas of things to reuse are: Rulers (my oldest has used the same ruler for 2 years straight, and you can’t tell), school box (we bought a plastic school box for the kids last year, and it still looks like new), scissors, and backpacks.
• Shop Thrift Stores. When school was getting ready to start last year, I hit a thrift store up by my hometown and ended up with all the clothes my kids could need and more. Every single piece of clothing was name brand (most of them jeans for DD) and I even bought 3 pairs of shoes. Not one of them looked used, there were no stains/rips. In the end there were about 3 brown paper grocery sacks crammed full and I paid less than $30 for all of it! This year, today as a matter of fact, I am doing the same (although I am going to a different town)–there is no reason to pay full price for something when I can pay less than 25%!
• Watch Those Sales and Stock Up! At the start of every school season, Walmart as well as many other retailers, put all their school supplies on a major markdown. When you are able to catch it–STOCK UP! Having those extras around will come in handy if they run out mid-school year (instead of paying full price) or to keep around for the following year. I still have about half a box of spiral notebooks from last year (that I caught for 5¢! I even used some as a Christmas gift to my oldest because he loves the things.) and tons of pens and highlighters that I got for free from Walgreen’s last year.
• Remember their Purpose! There are always going to be those big, fancy top of the line school supplies/school clothes out there, and while they may be tempting to get because they are “cool”–do you need them??? Does the lower level counterpart serve your purpose?? Keep this in mind as you shop–it will help you avoid those temptations!

What are your tips to starting school off on budget?

Feel free to link up your tips, but please link to your post, and not your homepage.

Get freedom from normal!

Have you purchased your copy of the Home Management Binder yet? It's not too late!

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Finding Freedom Friday: Cutting Back to School Costs is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

It is hard to believe that the last Goal Update I did was the beginning of June–for the month of May. I thought it was going to work out great to have more time between the updates, but it isn’t. I’ve had a hard time staying on track and remembering where I’m at.

June and July were both very busy months for us–July moreso than June. Not only is there the 4th of July (which comes with a big celebration at our church that we help organize) but there is also my birthday, our anniversary and canning season is usually in full force. Add that all in with a dash of VBS, and a few church trips here and there and you’ve got my month of July. Pure and utter craziness and chaos. And a recipe for a budget disaster. Hmmph.

There..I admitted it. July (as far as our finances go) pretty much stunk.

• Finances: We’ve gained a bit of headway on our debt, but not as much as I would have liked. My debt ticker shows $12505.40, but that doesn’t show our last payments. If my calculations are correct, we should be down to about $11,805-ish. Since I don’t know the exact numbers yet, I haven’t updated the sidebar or my percentages.
• Gardening: This year the squash bugs and I have gotten to know each other. This isn’t a good thing. They annihilated my zucchini (which I dealt with since my DH hates it) but now, they are trying to go after my pie pumpkins! Eekk. So, I threw organic out the window and dusted those things with Sevin until they couldn’t see the light of day. I was proud of myself..until I walked out there a few days later and they were still there!! Those things are tough!
  • My food storage (atleast from the garden) is going fairly well. I canned my first batch of diced tomatoes and spaghetti sauce yesterday. You can see a list of all the other things I’ve canned so far this year here. It is so nice being able to step back and take a look at all my home canned goodies on my pantry shelves. Makes me smile.
  • We’re starting to plant the fall garden and looking into our plans for next year’s spring garden, what we are adding to the orchard, as well as our herb garden (that will happen next year!).

• Self: I did so good exercising through the month of June and parts of July. I loved The Shred, and I still do, but my routine has gotten all crazy and I’ve had a hard time regaining control of it again. The first thing that gave: exercising, and I can tell. I’m hoping to get control again now that we are regaining our normalcy.

• Home: We are still trying to figure out whether or not we are doing our major remodel project this year or not. Because of this, all of the painting and inside renovating has been put at a standstill. The suspense is killing me, but I keep reminding myself that it is all in God’s timing..not my own.

  • I’ve become a lot better at embracing (and thoroughly enjoying) my life as a housewife, wife and mother. With that I’ve gotten better with accomplishing my day to day duties. My home (albeit chaotic) has been peaceful and inviting and close to everything I’ve wanted and dreamed for it to be.

So how have you been doing on your goals?? Fill me in–it’s been awhile!

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2009 Goal Update: July Edition is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

I’ve never really mentioned it here..not completely sure why. I guess that I didn’t really think it was that big of a deal. But after my family and real life friends made such a big deal about it..I got to thinking about it some more. And I realized that indeed, it was a little strange in this day and age. And well lately, I’ve been all about strange. I’m all about getting freedom from the normal, too. I’m sure you’ve been able to tell that by now.

Are you ready?

You may want to sit down. Oh yeah, most people use their computers sitting down, that’s right. Moving on.

Here it goes. Here’s my secret: I don’t have a microwave in my kitchen. Or in my house for that matter. It has been that way since right before Thanksgiving (I do believe) and quite honestly, I don’t miss it. As a matter of fact, I don’t see me having a microwave anytime soon.

Here is how it all came about. I had a small, white microwave that I got when I graduated (for free from our Project Graduation Party). It worked, but it was on my counter and was the only appliance in my kitchen that was white, both of which annoyed me greatly. When we bought our refrigerator, we came across a Fridgedaire Stainless Steel over the Range Hood Microwave. And I loved it. It had a big dent in the side so it was on major markdown, so we bought it. Removed the dent. Installed it. Used it 6 months when it quit. Kaput. I was livid.

While we were waiting to get it to the shop and on the verdict from the repair man, I noticed that it was easy to get by without the microwave. I still had my white one that we had moved to our pantry, which is actually a room off of our carport that is heated/cooled, but I never used it. I didn’t miss it. Granted it took a little while longer to prepare things, but when I did, it was much better than when I used the microwave. No mush. No hot spots. And no worries! Then the verdict came, it was going to cost more to repair the microwave than what we paid for it. Not happening!

By no worries I mean this. My husband is fully and completely convinced that plastics in the microwave (from them being heated up) can cause autism. Not saying that it does, but still. Considering that we question whether our oldest is on the spectrum or not–this is something we tried to avoid. Even if it isn’t partly responsible for autism, it is proven that microwaving your food in plastic (or even covered with plastic wrap) releases cancer-causing compounds. While I know that there are supposedly “safe plastics” and that glass is also an option–I don’t want to worry about it.

Not only that, but microwaving food significantly reduces the nutritional value. I came across one study that stated microwaves decrease 97% of the flavonoids which contain anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial properties as well as B 12 (which helps your nervous system and with red blood cell formation). I think I want as many flavonoids and B 12 in my food a I can get!

I also know that we lived without microwaves up until about 1946. Many, many women (and men) cooked without one, and they survived just fine. While I will admit that it takes more preparation on my part to warm us up lunch, that is really the only negative side effect, if you want to call it that.

How do we deal? That is easy!

• I use a kettle for hot cocoa and hot tea.
• We have completely switched over to what I call “real popcorn.” It’s not that fancy stuff you find in bags with the butter and seasonings (as well as numerous other chemicals) mixed in. Instead we get the pure delight of watching ½ cup of popcorn kernels turn into 2 big bowls of popcorn that we get to flavor to our individual preferences. I love white cheddar, while my DS loves cinnamon sugar. Not to mention this way has far less sodium and Lord only knows what else. Plus, it’s frugal!
• Since I menu plan, I know right off whether I need to pull something out of the freezer for dinner.
• I begin to think lunch around 11 or so. This gives me ample time to warm something in the oven if need be.
• Anything that can me made in the microwave can be made (and was probably originally made) on the stovetop or in the oven. For example: I got some frozen vegetables in a steamer bag for free after coupon. When my microwave broke I didn’t know what to do with them. Haha. Open them up and cook them! Just because they are in a fancy bag doesn’t mean they aren’t “normal”. The packaging doesn’t change the product. It’ll cook.

All of that to say, you may think I’m weird. You make be looking at your screen going….”Wha? Seriously? Nuh uh!”. But I’m for real. It works for me. I’ve survived without my microwave. I love it, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So if you must, go ahead and think I’m weird. I’m just on my way to getting freedom from normal. And I’m completely okay with that. You never know, my TV just may be next…. (yeah right, I think my husband would really think I’ve lost it then!)

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

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Visit the Clever Housewife for Saving and Stretching a Buck.
I’ve Got A Secret… is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

Well, it’s been a week! Did you survive the frugal challenge?

I did! It even went better than I anticipated! I definitely think that maybe we should go for a longer challenge, don’t you think? If felt like this one ended just about as quick as it began.

Here is my recap from the week:

• When traveling away from home, pack your own snacks, meals and drinks. Yes! We’ve really not been away a whole lot, other than back to the hometown over the weekend. My house was out of all things snack related (other than a few fruit snacks–which I packed), so I knew I would have to stop off at the store. We were spending the weekend with my mom (first time in almost 6 years!!!!) and I had no idea if she would have snacks for us or not so I picked some up at the grocery store on our way out.
• Try not to eat out at all this week. From Saturday to next Friday.Yes! This is the one I was really worried about on our end. While sometimes we do really well, there are other hurried trips in which we just decide to eat out. Especially those trips back home. But, this time I stuck to my guns! I stopped off at the store on the way back to the hometown and bought fried chicken from the deli as well as potato wedges and snacks that we needed for the weeked at my mom’s. On our way home, which was right around dinner time, we decided we could wait until we got home (around 7) and eat something quick out of the refrigerator. And you know what?! Not one of us died from starvation.
• Plan outings that are no cost adventures, such as parks and museums. Again, we’ve had a pretty uneventful week. There was a lot of rain at the beginning of the week, and I’ve been fighting a migraine. Over the weekend though, we made it withougt spending a dime and the kids had a blast. We picked cherries and made a pie, and we’ve played around the house. It’s been fun, and it’s been frugal.
• Make extra meals for your freezer for days when you have no gusto to cook dinner. For lunch on Thursday, I made Corn Dog Muffins and since the recipe makes about 24, and we only need 8 for lunch, I froze the rest. This is definitely going to come in handy for our lunches!
• Make something from scratch that you normally wouldn’t, such as bread, household cleaners, snacks, etc. I didn’t do as well in this area as I had wanted. My original intention was to make some cleaners, but the headache pretty much derailed me. However, I did end up making my own vinaigrette dressing for our dinner, since I had to switch to Plan B (the boys went out on a fishing trip, so I wanted more of a simple dinner).
• If you haven’t made a budget (or goals for 2009) yet..DO IT! If you are all squared away here, check and see if there is something in your budget that you can lower, or cut out completely. I realized that since the big kids were out of school that I didn’t have to worry about their school lunch money. That gave me an additional $42/month for the summer, but I guess that isn’t technically cutting something out.
• Try out a new-to-you frugal idea such as washing/re-using ziploc bags, using less laundry/dishwashing detergent, re-use juice from canned fruits and vegetables, save butter tubs, amongst many others. Be creative! Fail. I’m sure there are frugal steps that I haven’t made yet, I just didn’t have the brain power to search them out.

How did your week go? Are you up for another Challenge in the next month or so? How about ideas for an upcoming Finding Freedom Friday? Let me know your thoughts!

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Visit the Clever Housewife for Saving and Stretching a Buck.
Finding Freedom Friday: Frugal Challenge Recap is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt

For this edition of Finding Freedom Friday, I would like to put forth a Week Long Frugal Challenge. With Summer in full swing, we are running to and fro and spending lots of time in the outdoors. While I do love every minute of it, sometimes it is incredibly tempting to look toward the not so frugal side of things. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to fall into that mess!

While I would love to do a Month Long Challenge, I think it would be best to start out small and see if we can conquer this first. And I know we can!

Here’s the Challenge:

• When traveling away from home, pack your own snacks, meals and drinks. Be sure to check out this post for lots of different ideas.

• Try not to eat out at all this week. From Saturday to next Friday.
• Plan outings that are no cost adventures, such as parks and museums. Check out the Frugal Family Fun post for some ideas.

• Make extra meals for your freezer for days when you have no gusto to cook dinner. This post has some pointers and OAMC/Freezer Recipes.

• Make something from scratch that you normally wouldn’t, such as bread, household cleaners, snacks, etc. The Finding Freedom Friday: Making Your Own vs. Store Bought post has a lot of different ideas to try out. You can also browse through my recipe section for numerous “from scratch” recipes.

• If you haven’t made a budget (or goals for 2009) yet..DO IT! If you are all sqaured away here, check and see if there is something in your budget that you can lower, or cut out completely.

• Try out a new-to-you frugal idea such as washing/re-using ziploc bags, using less laundry/dishwashing detergent, re-use juice from canned fruits and vegetables, save butter tubs, amongst many others. Be creative!

That’s it! Easy peasy, right? The Challenge will start Saturday (gives you a day to get all the non-frugal things out of your system. and end next Friday with a Finding Freedom Friday: Challenge Recap.

I will be running around, back to the hometown again this weekend, so I’m hoping to be able to stick to the “no eating out” part. This may prove to be a toughie!

So, are you up to it?!

**I’ve just realized that Mr. Linky has disappeared from all of my old posts, and on my end it only stores the latest 5! AGH! So, if you linked to the Finding Freedom Friday posts mentioned in this post, and you want your link included–please email them to me and I can manually add them all in. Sorry!**

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Finding Freedom Friday: Are You Up For A Challenge? is a post from: Getting Freedom From Debt