Whenever I begin a redecorating project, I like to shop around to find best deals and great finds.   It has been well over due to paint our master bath.  A while back I decided on a beach theme.   So I set out to find the perfect  paint color.

First stop, Lowe’s and Home Depot…… I realize that their paint cost a bit more than Wal-Mart.  I know that a gallon of paint at Wal-Mart is $7.94.  If I can find a reject for a cheaper price, I will most certainly find a bargain.   If you go to the paint department, you will find on a shelf just by the mixing center.  On that shelf there are gallons of paint that is imperfect… meaning that the color wasn’t right.  It was off a hair or two.  The customer has rejected it and well…. they put it on sale.  This can definitely work in our favor.  The only pitfall is if there isn’t any color you like and it may take weeks, months, or years  before the color you want is rejected.  However, if you don’t mind the color, you have a wide selection to choose from.   I have also found Wal-Mart is doing it as well….

Second Stop, the Habitat for Humanity Store….Here you can find left over paint from the built Habitat Homes.  You can find the big 5 gallon or even larger cans.  These are mostly off white but sometimes if you are lucky contractors will donate colored paints to be sold as well.  The paint ranges between $3-$15 depending on the quality and quantity.  The extra bonus here is that you are helping Habitat for Humanity with your purchase.

If all else fails, I will end up at Wal-Mart buying the color of my choice.  Well, as it turned out, I found what I was looking for at Home Depot.  I paid $3.00 for a gallon of an imperfect sea green.  I fell in love with the color right off the bat!!  Oh, by the way, it looks great in my bathroom!!

Happy Bargain Hunting!!

Hey, have you caught Wal-Mart’s new “pack your lunch” commerical???? Save your money and skip the fast food chain….. I agree with Wal-Mart with that statement…..  And I have noticed they have said “under $3.”  So, I decided to take a look at how much my kids lunches cost me to make……

Menu:  Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Applesauce, Kool-aid, cookies…….

Peanut Butter Sandwiches:

2 slices of bread:  $.08

1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter:  $.004

Applesauce: 1/2 cup serving=$.18  (We purchase the jar… want to be green ya know)

Kool-aide (made at home)= 1 cup= $.01

Homemade Cookies= 2 cookies=$.015

So let’s see our total shall we…….

29 Cents!!!!!

Can’t beat that now can we????? So let’s say you eat that for lunch everyday for a month at work and school….. You would have spent only $6 for 5 lunches a week for an entire month!! Can’t even get one combo meal for that price at McDonald’s!!  Yippie!!

Isn’t it fun to add up how much things cost????  It is amazing how eye-opening it really is!!

I can remember my Grandma fussing at my Grandfather because he had such a big “sweet tooth.”  He was always asking her to bake.  Needless to say, he was quite spoiled.   Grandpa, tall and lanky, would sit a the table after a meal rubbing his stomach and exclaiming, “Thank God, I left room for dessert!”  Grandma would slice him a big old piece of cake or pie.  He would never scarf it down; rather, he would savor each bite with his coffee or milk.  Never would a piece be eaten without a “mmmmm, Bonnie this is good.”  Stroking her ego for more dessert was his plan.

Grandma was famous for lots of sweets.  She always had “Little Debbies” stashed away for us grandkids.  She would always have a homemade cake or pie cooling at the table when Grandpa would come walking across the old field after a long hard day at the factory.  Or in the early hours of morning she was up making a breakfast cake that was out of this world.  I can remember times we got to have “cake for breakfast.”  It was almost unheard of at home, but at Grandma’s it was the coolest thing to do.

This breakfast cake was always served warm.  If there were left overs it was served as dinner’s dessert.  Grandpa loved this cake.  It was one of his favorites.  It was everyone’s favorite.  She would even make it before we would go camping .  She always had the ingredients on hand.

Well, as I grew up, I married and started a family of my own.  When my daughter was just a tot, I got to craving the breakfast cake.  I always remembered stories of how Grandma would mix this cake all day, pouring her heart and soul into the batter.  She always said it was a pain to make.  Thinking I had enough spunk to encounter such a labor of love, I asked for her recipe. Oh she gladly offered the recipe for me.  She had never written it down.  She had it memorized and expected me to pay close attention to the details of this infamous cake recipe.  She told me the following:

Mix 4 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, 1 cup water and a sprinkle of butter flavoring to one white or yellow cake mix.

Cake Mix!!  She had us all fooled!!  She cracked a smile and simply chuckled, “Now don’t be telling your Grandpa my secret.  He has no business knowing that it is just a cake mix!”

She went on with the recipe….

Pour 1/2 of the batter in a bundt pan (greased of course). Mix in a small bowl 2 tsp sugar, some cinnamon and chopped nuts put 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar on the batter in the pan.  Pour the rest of the batter over the spices and nuts.  Sprinkle the rest of the sugar, cinnamon and nuts over the top.  Bake at 325 degrees.

I guess her secret is out… God rest her soul…. And I guess Grandpa now knows the truth behind the labor of  love.  I am sure she got a tickle out of telling him when he arrived in heaven.

Thank God for Grandmas!!

I lead a very simple content life.  I love my simple ways and the hard work I put into conserving the Earth and saving money.  I love sharing my ideas to anyone who will listen.    The thought of having to sacrifice some time or put forth the effort to become a true green frugalist bothers some people and makes them feel like my ideas “sets us back 100 years.”  Or worse….we lead our lives as the image of something so negative:  ”white trash,” “poor,”and “backwards.”

Yesterday, I sat down and prayed.  It had been pointed out to me that a mere savings of $30 in a month’s time due to hanging out my laundry wasn’t worth the time and energy it took.  And the impression I was sending out to the world by hanging out my clothes to dry was “trashy.”

My prayer was simple:

“God you have told us to be content with our lives and that it is only You that we need.  God you have instructed us as believers not to conform to the worldly views.  You also have told us to take care of the Earth.  Grant me the strength to not allow these comments distract my focus of living a frugal and humble lifestyle.”

Then it dawned on me….to the world looking into my life, I may have the image of someone unworthy, trashy, poorly, or just plain backwards.  But it is their perception not my God’s.  He sees me as a humble, simple child of God trying to live her life with contentment and in faith. If I tried to conform to the worldly image, I think I would be missing out on a lot.

Besides, doesn’t our economical times just deem a time where we should look past images?  If saving a mere $30, supplies my children with new shoes for school or keeps me at home for my family; I’d say it is well worth all the hard work of hanging out my clothes inspite of what the neighbors might think.  If faced with the choice of saving money and Mother Earth over convenience, the decision will be easy and a sacrifice of no longer purchasing paper and plastic goods will be made.  And no matter what the world thinks of me, I know God loves me for being me.  And that is more important to me than anything.

So those of you out there who are facing the choice to become true frugalists be warned.  You will not be conforming to the world and you might hear some hurtful comments but just be satisfied that during tough times sacrifices have to be made and trying to keep up an image is so much harder.  Being a frugalist has taught me a lot of things but mostly how to be content.  And that is the impression I want to leave my children and my children’s children.

“Our great great grandma was a simple woman who love the Lord.”

That is going to be my legacy……

Oh, I tell you something is wrong with me!!  I get excited these days to get my electric bill.  Crazy isn’t it???  But, let me tell you I want to know how much I am saving!! I get a thrill seeing how much money our sacrifices are paying off.

Just the other day, our electric bill came.  Oh what a pleasant surprise.  This summer, we have bumped the old thermostat up to 80 instead of last year’s 78.  Plus, I am line drying my clothes, so the dryer isn’t being used except on rainy days.  Once the garage is cleaned out I am planning on having a line in there as well. Anyway, back to the bill.  My jaw dropped when I saw the savings…..comparing to last year’s June bill we have saved….. drum roll please…….$84.28!!!

Needless to say, I danced all the way into the house!!!

Last week, I was swimming with friends.  Instead of my usual library books, I brought along with me the sales ad, my menu grid, and my shopping list because I needed to get ready for my weekly shopping trip.   Once the younger kids were swimming, I sat down at the picnic table and began my planning  routine.

My friend’s oldest daughter was amazed at my grocery list.  Then I heard over my shoulder, “Oh my, I could never do that.”  My best friend chuckled at her own statement.  ”Sure you could.  It just takes a little time.  Besides once you made out your list and save on the computer, half your work is already done for you.”  I couldn’t convince her.

I realize that many people today live busy lives.  I, too, am one of those people.  But, I also know if I went to the grocery store without preparing, I would be setting myself up to spend money we just don’t have.

In Ephesians 6, Paul describes the Armor of God and how we should put it on ourselves in order to take a stand against Satan’s evil schemes.  Paul is emphasizing that we learn as much as we can about God’s Word, God’s plan of salvation, and to put our knowledge to work to protect us from the evil in the world.  I realize I am simplifying the Word, but my point is to be as prepared as you possibly can.

That is exactly what I am doing with my planning:  being prepared.  Oh, trust me temptation is thrown my way every time I walk into a store.  Especially at the clearance aisle.  I want to spend a little extra here and there just for the fun of it.  But, if I am prepared especially with my calculator in the store, I am able to stay focused and on track.

If you say you are committed to saving money then please don’t skimp on the preparation and planning it requires.  Being frugal is a choice and perhaps it has suddenly become a fact in your life due to this recession.  Being really good at it takes a lot of time in preparing.

My advice to my friend:  If you make the effort and put in the time, you will reap the benefits with a little extra money in your pocket!!

Happy Planning!!!