Budget: Steadfast or Rolling?

More and more people are having to learn to live on a budget but are struggling because they have never needed to live on a budget before. I know several people who have recently begun to realize the value in stockpiling but are having problems doing this within their grocery budget.

I have a weekly and a monthly budget for groceries. My weekly budget is simply the monthly number broken down into weeks. If I see a great sale on several items I need, I am not afraid to go over budget that week as long as I make up for it down the road. My goal is to be at or under budget by the end of the month. I call this weekly budget number a rolling budget. For instance, my weekly grocery budget is $50. Last week I went over by $13 because there was a huge sale. This week, I only spent $27 so I'm still under budget for the month.

This concept can be applied to other areas of the budget, as long as the money is available at the time it is needed. I know several people who use the envelope system so that their budget is always a rolling budget. If the money is in the envelope, they can buy something but if there is no money, they must wait until another day. If they have money left over, it is left in the envelope for those times they need to spend a little extra money.

So, do you have a steadfast monthly budget or are some categories on a rolling budget? I urge you to find what works best for you so that you can stay on track each month.

Food Friday: Autumn Soup

We've had a few cooler days off and on the past few weeks and I've found myself wanting fall comfort foods on those days so I thought I would post a great fall recipe. A friend of mine posted this recipe on Facebook last year and it has quickly become a family favorite. I change it up with different veggies and spices depending on what I have on hand and what mood I'm in that day.

Autumn Soup

1-2 pounds ground beef
1 cup chopped celery
1 medium onion, chopped chunky
1 lg. can crushed tomatoes (+ 1 can of water)
2-4 large potatoes, peeled & cut into bite size pieces
Salt, to taste
2 bay leaves
1-2 teaspoons of beef granules (or bouillon cubes)
2 Tbs. basil

Brown ground beef, celery and onion; drain fat. (I sometimes add a little minced garlic if I have it on hand.) Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for at least one hour. Serves 6.

***I have no idea why Blogger is deciding I need multiple fonts in this post. It is all written in the same size and style. Sorry it looks so weird.

Blessings from Above

Thanks to getting very little sleep lately and my husband working 6 long days a week while training for his second job, I've been in a foul mood the past few weeks. I decided yesterday that I was going to change that. I started by getting out of the house. With my oldest being extremely energetic, this isn't an easy task. Luckily, a friend invited me over for a playdate and we all had a blast. The next thing I did was focus on the blessings I've experienced lately. Seeing God's hand in your life can really change your attitude quickly. Here are just a few of the blessings I've experienced this summer:

A healthy baby. I never thought I would have a preterm baby (born at 35 weeks, 5 days) as there was no indication of problems, but thankfully he was born healthy and the few issues we've had with weight gain seem to be resolving itself.

An outpouring of love from friends and family. When the baby came early, we were not prepared AT ALL. Our house was an absolute wreck, we had friends living in our basement, the baby's room was barely put together and not organized at all, our pantry was not stocked, and I only had two newborn outfits. Within two days my family and friends had rallied to clean our house, provide two weeks worth of meals, and shower us with clothes and diapers. I was slightly overwhelmed by it all because usually I'm the one giving, not receiving.

New friends. Ok, so they aren't really new to me, but our friendships have gone from general acquaintance to good friends over the summer.

A second job for my husband. We had been praying for well over a year for an answer to our financial situation and God is providing with this second job. I'm not a fan of the hours but it is nice to have some relief and my husband absolutely loves the job.

College funding. My husband has two semesters left of school before he graduates. We have paid for his schooling entirely out of pocket as we are not fans of debt. When he went to pay the bill this week for the fall semester, he learned he received financial aid for the first time. This was just under half of his fall tuition. I just stood there and thanked God for his blessings.

These are just a few of the blessings our family has experienced this summer. Take a moment to reflect on how you've been blessed recently. It really will lift your spirits. I know I'm in a much better mood today than I have been in a few weeks. How have you been blessed?

Free Pork Chop Recipes

I'm always looking for new pork chop recipes as we eat waaaayyy too much beef at our house thanks to the free beef we get every year for Christmas. I try to vary up our meat each week and that includes adding in some pork. I'm not a huge pork fan though. I have a few recipes that I love but mostly I would choose chicken over pork if I could. My husband gets sick of chicken all of the time though. I just signed up for this free cookbook and it looks like there are some really good recipes in it. You will need to give your email address and there are a few offers that you are welcome to skip (although a few of the newsletters they offer are actually pretty good - I'm already a subscriber to them though). Otherwise, it is completely free and ready for download.

To get your free eBook: America's Favorite Pork Chop Recipes featuring 52-pages of quick and easy recipes click here.

Food Friday: Crispy Baked Fish

I love fish but my husband is not a big fan. He will eat this recipe on occassion though. I love this recipe this time of the year because it is light and fairly healthy.

Crispy Baked Fish

3 Tbsp margarine or butter
2/3 cup Bisquick (I use reduced fat)
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 lb white fish fillets (use whatever is on sale or buy the frozen variety)
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 425. Melt butter in a rectangular pan (13x9) in the oven. Mix Bisquick, cornmeal, chili powder, and salt. Dip fish into egg, then coat with Bisquick mixture. Place in pan. Bake uncovered 10 minutes, turn fish. Bake about 15 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork.

InBox Dollars

You may have noticed the box on the right hand side of my blog for InBox Dollars but had no clue what it was. I've been using InBox Dollars for about a year now and it is yet another way to make a little money using the internet. Emails are sent to your inbox and you receive income by clicking on them. Over time, this adds up to some nice extra spending money. They also have offers and surveys you can complete to earn more and you can receive a percentage back by shopping through the site too. I recently went through the site to purchase some of my husband's textbooks.

InboxDollars pays members to read e-mail, take surveys, play games, shop online, and more!

Click Here
if you are interested in joining InBox Dollars.

Tightwad Tuesday: Back to School Clothes

The best way to save on back to school clothes is to not buy them (at least not now). I know, that sounds strange, but we never bought a whole new wardrobe for school when I was growing up. My mom would let us pick out one new reasonably priced outfit for the first day and that was it. Around here, it is still very warm when school starts and summer clothes are perfectly fine. Mom would then wait until the temperature actually cooled and then we would get what we needed. By that time, fall clothes were on clearance and we were able to pick up a lot more for the money. Our son starts preschool next week and I haven't bought him a single item of clothing for school yet. I picked up some clearance items at the end of the season last year so that he has a few things that fit when it starts cooling and I will get the rest as we need it.