Hi Im overwhelmed

**mommyofasher** · 04-06-2007, 04:08 PM

Hi. I just joined. I am hoping I will learn much on how to be frugal. I'm in debt due to medical bills and I have no way to increase my income. I'm scared to death. One goal I have is to learn how to cook from scratch. Okay, its my only goal right now. I'm overwhelmed and not quite sure what to do. If anyone has any ideas beyond that let me know. Just wanted to introduce myself. Hugs to everyone.

**FrugalMomof3** · 04-06-2007, 04:11 PM

Hiya and

to the Village, I am sure you'll find tons of info here about cooking from scratch, I personally dont do it but the other ladies here will tell you that I am a cheapo and can feed a family of 5 for under $75 a month. Again welcome

**AheeK** · 04-06-2007, 04:19 PM

Hi there! Sorry to hear about the debt, but you are in good company here. There is TONS of info on these forums. Hope you feel better soon!

**Ceashels** · 04-06-2007, 04:56 PM

Welcome (from another newbie) and I love to cook from scratch. I keep a few side dishes on hand in an emergency (when my spouse needs to make a quick dinner) but most every meal is from scratch these days. A pantry/cupboard of ingredients is the best thing to have. You don't need everything all at once but you will find your pantry will evolve according to your tastes and needs.

I started by keeping things simple and as I became more efficient at basic preparation that is when I started to experiment.

I have just started to budget my time into blocks where I can devote to specific chores around the house. My Sunday evenings are for baking. I make a double batch of bread dough that becomes one loaf, some bagels/rolls and a pizza shell for later in the week. This becomes part of 3 meals and lunches. Soup in a bread bowl. Leftovers become Impossible pies. Pizza is a Wednesday standard. I am finding my grocery bill is getting smaller as my menues become better planned. I am also gaining more time as my preparations for meals overlap.

I am finding these forums to offer a wealth of knowledge and information.
Be well,
Ceashels

**baxjul** · 04-06-2007, 06:14 PM

Hello and welcome!

**crazyBMB** · 04-06-2007, 07:27 PM

Hello! And Welcome! I think you'll enjoy yourself here!

**Marie78** · 04-06-2007, 07:45 PM

Hi and

**Mom23boys** · 04-06-2007, 07:52 PM

Hello and welcome to the Village.

**mom2three** · 04-06-2007, 07:58 PM

Welcome! We do a specialized diet (Gluten-free casein free soy lite) and we now actually spend less money on groceries now that I cook everything from scratch than when I was working and we ate "conventional food - we were only gluten-free at that point). What is your schedule like? Are you doing ABA? Are you trying alternative therapies? Have they helped? Several things.

1) Give yourself a hug. You deserve it. It is tiring enough being a parent and even more so when there are special needs.

2) Start with small doable steps. Do not try everything at once or it will be overwhelming.

3) Start tracking your expenses to see where you can cut. Once you do this, you can free up some money.

4) Try to have solid routines. I'm not great at it, but am now able to get some things accomplished on my zombie days after being up with the kids at night. One of these is making dinner so we rarely eat out/order in (not that its easy on special diets anyway).

5) When I am stressed/overwhelmed, my budget goes to pot. When I make sure I take some time for me (even just 10 minutes alone in the shower without a kid walking in or yelling for me), I am a better budgeter and a better mommy - try to do somethng for yourself each day even if it just 5 minutes of deep breathing.

Lastly, frugal village is really supportive and helps a lot! We are paying down more now than when I was working even though we technically had more disposable income then!

Take care

**mommyofasher** · 04-06-2007, 08:04 PM

First of all..
and I quote from frugal momof3: I am a cheapo and can feed a family of 5 for under $75 a month.

How in the world...

I have questions. I have a family of 2 1/2 and I spend $450/mo. Aside from just eating cereal, I cannot fathom how to spend so little. My husband is a meat and potatoes person. However do you spend so little?? Wow.

As far as therapies for my son or husband, basically the only diet that helped is not consuming artificial colors or preservatives or a lot of sugar. There is a multivitamin called SuperNuthera that has done more than anything for my son. Now if I could just force feed it to my husband. Argh!

**FrugalMomof3** · 04-06-2007, 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by mommyofasher

First of all..
and I quote from frugal momof3: I am a cheapo and can feed a family of 5 for under $75 a month.

How in the world...

I have questions. I have a family of 2 1/2 and I spend $450/mo. Aside from just eating cereal, I cannot fathom how to spend so little. My husband is a meat and potatoes person. However do you spend so little?? Wow.

Lol, it's me cheapo FrugalMomof3, I totally dont cook from scratch but I buy cheap stuff like mac -n- cheese, spaghetti, rice and beans, chicken family packs, etc... My family isnt picky and we dont have any allergies to any type of foods so thats a plus, we eat no-frills/store brand, we shop at Aldis or Price Rite and we have this supermarket about a half hour away where I can get lunch meat for $1 a lb, beef stews that feed atleast 3 people per pack for at 2/$3 ... some of the items are expired but that's not a biggy.

I know we cant afford to spend too much so I have to improvise, it's actually become a habit for me to spend so little, we dont need the best cereals we buy store brand, even our toilet paper is store brand, lol... bread too.

Top Ramen is a favorite in our house, they are 8 for $1, use 2 or 3 and add some real chicken and there you have chicken soup.

It's easy to me because I really have to be cheap with food, my family is healthy and happy so that's all that matters.

**autumnlynn** · 04-06-2007, 10:36 PM

Just wanted to say hi and welcome to the Village!!

**IntlMom** · 04-07-2007, 12:26 AM

One foot in front of the other is going to be your best friend. Don;t look at the overwhelming nature of how you are going to get out of debt and save and etc...... This month, just try to get your 450 a month down to 400 a month. You should be able to find that you can do it. My nubmer one tip - especially to a meat and potatoes husband is - PLAN YOUR MENU BASED ON WHATS ON SALE!!! If beef roasts are not on sale this week, but pork and chicken is - fix pork and chicken, and buy enough to get you through to the next time they are on sale.......really, just watch your sales flyers and see if you can't cut your grocery bill.

**getnrichslowly** · 04-08-2007, 06:12 AM

Hi and welcome to the village!

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 04-12-2007, 11:43 PM

Welcome to the village! You'll find loads of great information here...and wonderful, supportive ladies!

Just take it one day at a time and set mini-goals. You'll do great!

My hubby is a "meat & potatoes" guy, too. I've found that he'll go for stews and thick soups that have meat (but not tons of it) and that helps stretch the food $$. Maybe try casseroles, too? How about stroganoff?