Working the winter finances...........

**WV_mom_of2** · 10-19-2009, 11:34 AM

Well my time working is almost over. I have 5 more days this month and then I am laid off until April 1. I've been trying to work the winter finances the last couple of days and it's getting me down. We CAN do it but it's going to be rough. We can pay all the bills and have a little left over for gas and food. God forbid there be any big emergencies.

I am going to have to cut the food bill WAY down. We are going to have to do without a lot of our favorite things this winter. I am also going to have to find a way to deal with being isolated all winter and fight that urge to go out and shop. It's going to be a LONG winter!

I could use some prayers that we get through this winter without getting over our heads!

**Maine Girl** · 10-19-2009, 12:43 PM

Okay let see if we can ease some stress...What are the favorite things you will have to give up? Do you have a stockpile? How about meal plans? Rememeber to build some little treats so you don't feel deprived and spend this winter

**piney** · 10-19-2009, 01:40 PM

Do you have any frugal hobbies to keep you busy when i am working on my embroder or piecing on quilt tops it help the day pass faster and i am not wanting to set and eat.

**piney** · 10-19-2009, 01:43 PM

I hit the reply before in was ready i was going to say it keeps me from wanting to go out and shop.

**Grainlady** · 10-19-2009, 03:47 PM

1. Plan one or two days per week that are meat-free, using meat alternatives (eggs, beans, cheese, gluten, fish). Meat is a budget buster.

2. Plan low-meat meals and add non-meat alternatives with them to cut meat dollars:
-stir-fry (small amounts of meat, and add some beans or eggs)
-soup (add some beans or cheese)
-dinner salads (a small amount of meat, plus beans and/or sliced boiled eggs)
-sandwiches (mix eggs into tuna to make a high-protein mixture for more protein servings than tuna alone)
-casseroles
-pizza (a great way to use up bits of meat and veggies)

3. Keep meat purchases to less than $2/pound (I love ground turkey and chicken thigh/leg parts for inexpensive meat that is very versatile).

I make gluten at home and mix ground gluten with ground beef and ground pork. Gluten is high in protein. Adding more carbohydrates (rice, noodles, macaroni) isn't stretching meat, it's only adding more carbs. Most people already consume too many carbs as it is. In order to "stretch meat" you need to add some kind of less-expensive meat alternative high in protein in order to maintain the number of servings necessary per day.

4. Avoid ready-to-eat cereal. These are also budget busters. There is approximately 17-cents worth of grain in a box of commercial cereal for the ultimate food rip-off. Choose less expensive oatmeal or other cooked wholegrain cereals.

Make your own muffins, quick breads, pancakes and French toast, etc., to use as breakfast food. If your family doesn't like oatmeal, PM me and I'll share some recipes that use cooked oatmeal that I bet they'll like.

5. It's important to eat a variety of foods from all the food groups. Make sure you get a food/beverage high in vitamin C each day. Drink frozen orange juice (reconstituted with water), which is generally the least expensive way to get 100% orange juice. A serving of juice is 3/4-cup and is equal to one fruit serving.

6. Watch serving sizes. Over-consumption of ANYTHING is expensive. My Food Pyramid - http://www.mypyramid.gov/

7. Focus on the "Seven Survival Foods":
grains, legumes, sprouting seeds, sweetener, salt, oil and powdered milk. It's amazing all the things you can make from these simple ingredients.

If you are unfamiliar with using grains, then substitute flour, but you can make an incredible number of foods from whole grains as well (Sue Gregg Recipes: http://www.suegregg.com/teaching/Who...ingLessons.htm).

If you can't afford fresh veggies, sprouted seeds make an excellent, high-in-nutrition replacement for them. Your little "garden-in-a-jar". You can use fresh sprouts on sandwiches, wraps, and pitas instead of expensive lettuce.

Among my favorite breads you'll find tortillas. They are easy to make with a few ingredients, and you can use them for every meal of the day, as well as baked and used for snacks.

Tortillas in a Bag: http://www.kswheat.com/recipes.php?id=117

8. Avoid wasted food. It's always the most expensive we purchase. I even dry the heals of bread and make bread crumbs to use in muffin, cookie, and pancake recipes as a portion of the flour. If you need some "bread crumb" recipes, PM me.

9. Check the deli counter at your local stores and find out if they discount deli-sliced sandwich meat and cooked meat at the end of the day. You may find some good meat bargains by shopping late, especially if you have to pack lunches. Deli meat bargains can also be made into a plethora of low-meat entrees.

10. Choose nutrient-dense and high-fiber foods (cabbage instead of lettuce, as an example). Both nutrient-dense and high-fiber foods (generally whole foods and grains) are more filling, and nutrients are needed to feed the body -- not empty calories found in white bread and white flour. As an example, you get more nutrition and fiber from an apple than you do applesauce or apple juice. Add small amounts of frozen veggies to a rice side dish to increase the nutrients and fiber not found in white rice.

How about some outings to the library. Lots of great escapes in books and videos. Lots of new things to learn to do and make, and possible some classes you can join in on.

I just brought home a stack of books from the library. I'm looking forward to making some "new" convenience foods for the pantry from the book "The Perfect Mix" by Diane Phillips, and reading a book I didn't know about... "The Simple Life" thoughts on simplicity, frugality, and living well - by Amy Dacyczyn (author of The Tightwad Gazette books), Joe Dominguez, and Vicki Robin.

Some of my favorite homemade "convenience" foods:

Homemade Baking Mix -
http://www.sideroad.com/Cooking/homemade-mix.html

http://busycooks.about.com/od/homema...akingmixes.htm

Magic Mix -
http://www.storefood.com/Grain/ldscn/44.html

http://notjustforstoring.blogspot.co...-and-what.html

http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/food/recipe_102.html

http://www.gardenguides.com/1953-magic-soup-mix.html

Good luck...

**Monner 1** · 10-19-2009, 04:14 PM

I know what your talking about with it going to be a long winter. I hate the heating bills and i want to stay out of the stores due to not needing another thing besides food and also the H1N1 flu that will be out and around. I have bought some books at rummage sales and also the library so I think I will do scrapbooking, reading, and cleaning the house really well and try to keep it that way. Good luck I am sure you will make it you are a strong woman.

Monner

**MaryCarney** · 10-19-2009, 04:33 PM

Since you have internet access, why not spend the winter 'homeschooling' yourself?? There are so many opportunities. What kind of work do you do??? Would learning some new stuff over winter make it so that you have year-round employment??
I would try and get out and do some volunteer work while I had the chance as well. Nothig like helping someone else to get rid of the winter blues!! (I dislike winter, too. I think I'm solar powered!!)

**shoiji** · 10-19-2009, 04:39 PM

Well, I am basically freezing already and winter hasn't even begun. I am starting to think I need to set some money aside for a higher gas bill. This winter is probably going to be a lot colder.

Try using your computer more for entertainment. There are great sites to look at. There is even a couple sites where you can audit a college class over the internet it is all free. You can watch a tv show, movie, play a game, read magazines, etc. Depending on where you live you might be able to take a adult evening night school class. They are usually pretty cheap to attend. Depending on the class, you may not even need supplies. A great cheap way to get out and meet other people.

Grainlady has some great ideas to help you stretch your food budget. Try to look on the bright side. You will have more time to make meals from scratch, match coupons to sales. You have a great imagination, I am sure you will be fine.

**WV_mom_of2** · 10-19-2009, 05:09 PM

Thanks for the support everyone. It's not that I don't know how to be frugal, I've been doing it most of my life. It's just that we are beyond frugal now. We will have a long winter and I am just going to have to adjust.

I do plan to read alot. Problem is the library we have is 10 miles away and very small. It's very hard to find enough books there to keep me occupied.

Not really interested in volunteering. The only place here to volunteer is at the school and I did that for 10 years. I am NOT interested in doing it again with the current problems they are having with teachers, volunteer coordinator, etc.

I don't drive in bad weather so when I say I am isolated, I mean it LOL.

I'm also not interested in full time employment. I HATE what I work now and have no interest in doing anything full time. I am giving up valuable time with my family as it is and I like my winters at home with the kids. I would have to drive 40 minutes to find full time work and that wouldn't be worth it for minimum wage and in bad weather anyway.

I don't really have any hobbies other than reading and cooking/baking. I can embroidery and do at times but not on any kind of a long term basis. I hate to sew and scrap booking drives me bonkers LOL. I'm just not creative enough to make the pages look the way I want them I guess.

For many years when I was a SAHM I lived this frugal, boring, isolated life and was fine with it. Then as health problems and my grandma's death set in things changed with me as I struggled to find a way to cope. Now I just have to find that old me again.

Thanks again for the good thoughts and ideas!

**Maine Girl** · 10-19-2009, 05:46 PM

Look out for local churches book sales then you can stock up on books. Would you be interested in painting glass or wood? Put together puzzles..on the internet you can play games for free. Just trying to think of things you could do and not go stir crazy.

**georgiamom** · 10-19-2009, 09:49 PM

I am not sure but as much as I can see you are a world of infomation and you could do a daily blog sharing all you infomation for those of us that are trying to become more frugal. In this economy we need all the help we can. Better yet you could do an online cookbook of frugal meals. That is something that many of us working mothers are really looking for one place to go so that we dont have to go searching all over the net. I have found that I love to see and hear stories of how people have learned how to take a meal and make it easier, cheaper and tastierf or familes.

**Mckeekitty** · 10-19-2009, 10:19 PM

You mentioned that you enjoy cooking. Absorb yourself with interesting, healthful, economic dishes. Do you cook on a wood stove during the winter?

Pursue your interests. The internet is wonderful on this front.

We, too, live a rather isolated life in the woods, and winter is much more solitary. I try to adjust my thinking to make the most of the upcoming winter. Money is tight, but we approach the change of season with a spirit of adventure and challenge.

**sabrelvssammy** · 10-19-2009, 10:32 PM

try signing up for some survey sites...and before you know it they will be coming at a regular pace and some days you can spend hours just completing surveys....i am averaging about $75 a month by completing them but you can also start receiving samples of products to try (these are full size samples too)....a good place to check out the better survey sites is a place called 'survey police'....they list all the sites and grade them and people can also post their opinions...there is also a site called the 'IM Report Card' that you can get survey info on... go for the ones that pay cash instead of just entering you in sweepstakes...or if you find one that does just points...check the prizes available before you invest any great amount of time coz some of the prizes are just not worth the time....while you are not going to get rich doing survey's you can get a few dollars here and there and that will buy you a few groceries....but the key is to be willing to do them when you are sent the invite and complete them in a timely manner and be willing to do the mundane and simple ones and after you prove yourself you will start to get better and better offers...

this week i am doing a weeklong for a group where we log in once a day and answer 2 questions (takes about 1/2 hr each time)...this particular one is on health care....i do this for 5 days and then i get paid $100... and this company does pay coz a few months ago i did a focus group with them and they sent me a webcamera (which i was to keep) and after i installed it i spent 2 hrs one evening with 6 others from across the country and a moderator talking and they paid me $100 for doing it...(plus the camera)...
also this week i am doing another 'online community group survey' which i need to log on once a day and give my thoughts and then after 4 weeks i get $50...(it's almost like the village with all the posting that is going on)....

it has taken about 6 months to get to this point but now that i am getting deeper into it the offers are getting pretty darn good....the products to try are coming faster too...this week i am testing cat food/womens razors & 2 different 'flavors' of a new bath/body works lotion.... (i have 'tested' kraft mac & cheese, glade candles, lemonade, tuna, pantene shampoo, and i can't even remember what else but there's been alot lately).....

it's definately worth it if its something you want to give a try to.....

**peanut** · 10-23-2009, 10:43 AM

I find that winter is harder than summer. We're a one car family and DH takes the car to work in the winter, effectively isolating me during the day. However we're in the city and I can walk places...if I want to brave -30--50C temperatures!

My saviour has been the Internet. I've found all sorts of on-line books to read. Plus I watch instructional videos and learn new things. And I try to cook a new recipe from the Internet at least once a week. I listen to free university lectures and sermons on-line as well.

I have hobbies so it isn't so bad for me. I have a lot of hobbies! I am always picking one or the other to do each day. I also invite friends in. I may not be able to get out, but they can.

Can you hook up with Skype and chat with some friends/family during the day? I spend time chatting with family using YAK Communications. But I think Skype would be better...it's free.

{{{Hugs}}} I agree you could probably write a blog as well. Maybe turn it into a money making opportunity. There's some guy selling information on how to earn money off writing on the Internet... DD#1 is trying this right now.

**Libby** · 10-24-2009, 09:09 PM

Sounds like a great thread....I love the ideas and can't wait to see more.

My suggestion - which would already be kiboshed by WV mom of 2 - was go the local gym...see if you could get a discounted membership for 6 months. This way when you're out and about running errands you can incorporate that into your day as well. Why not maintain your health while you're hibernating? But as WV mom of 2 said, she doesn't want to brave the elements during the winter - I don't blame her one bit.