In today’s economy, it can be very difficult to make ends meet financially. If you feel like you could fall off a cliff with your family’s finances at any point, there are some steps that you can take to improve your situation. Here are a few backup resources to consider when you want to avoid […]
Stretch Chicken to Save Money
Roasting a whole chicken is easy to do and it provides the foundation for four meals for four people: an amazing bargain! When I was young, at least once a week we’d sit down to dinner and one of us kids would exclaim, “Awe, Mom! Chicken again?” Mom cooked a lot of chicken, I […]
Taking Control of Family Finances – 10 Steps to Implement This Year
After Christmas, finances tend to be tighter than usual. I know how family has to really budget during January and sometimes have to dip into savings to help afford the necessities until our salaries reach our bank accounts. We’ve developed a strategy over the last few years, and it makes handling the family finances much […]
10 Simple Fixes to Save on Heating
With energy prices increasing and finances still tight, finding ways to save on heating have been at the top of my list lately. While I have to turn the heating on every now and then, mainly to make sure my daughter’s room doesn’t get too cold, I don’t want it on all the time. Here […]
Five Ways to Go Green in 2013
Solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, and riding a bike to work instead of driving are all pretty dramatic lifestyle changes for “going green.” Here are five simple ways to Go Green in 2013 that do not cost much extra money or time. If you are doing a few of these, maybe this is the time to […]
Make Beef Affordable With London Broil
It often seems as though your efforts to eat inexpensively mean having to sacrifice what many of us see as standard fare. For example: What about beef? With the toughest cuts of beef starting above five dollars a pound, a juicy grilled steak will bust the $7 Dinner budget… or will it? Very recently, […]
From Office Employee to Home Office Boss: Taking the Big Leap to Work from Home
Congratulations! It’s your fifth year working for your company. Now go up the stage and get that plaque of appreciation they’re handing out to you for being a loyal and terrific employee. After the late night party ended, you go home smiling, thinking: This will probably be my lifetime career. Tomorrow, my journey to the […]
10 Easy Methods to Slash Your Family’s Food Bill
So many people offer couponing and double couponing as an easy method to save on groceries. This article isn’t one of them. My family hasn’t clipped a coupon in months. Yet, we tend to live on $20 to $60 per week on groceries for a family of three.
Seven Dollar Dinners: Bean Soup
Being lazy, I’m happy to make a meal of a bowl of 15 bean soup on rice. But for the rest of my family, I often prepare a simple lettuce or cabbage salad as well. A meal for 4 costs about $3.20. For this seven dollar dinner, a hearty bean soup uses inexpensive salt pork […]
Seven Dollar Dinners: Burritos
Prepare beef and bean burritos for four for under $7. I love cooking shows on TV but am underwhelmed at the ambition of some television chefs. They often set crazy high spending limits for “budget” meals—$20 for dinner, or $15 when they really stretch. Rachael Ray tries harder when she offers meals using ingredients that […]
How to Get a New Kitchen on a Tight Budget
The kitchen is often the beating heart of a home. Much more than a place where meals are prepared, the kitchen is often the gathering place for the family. It’s where the kids do their homework, where the adults create delicious dinners and riveting discussions take place around the wide countertops. If you’ve got a […]
Get Prepared: Drying Clothes Outside
Most of us have a washer and dryer readily available to us, even if it means a trip to the laundromat. But what if a power outage outlasts your supply of clean laundry? Regardless of the season or the weather, clothing can be dried on a line, either inside or out. Inside takes a bit […]
