We don’t have cable now and I have been missing my decorating shows. Even though some of those shows are way out there you can get some good ideas to make it a cheaper.

Well, I got the bright idea a few weeks ago to look at real estate in Colorado and see if we should try and move back.  As I was looking I found the perfect house!

I’m not sure why everyone laughed when they saw the price but I figured “hey why not shoot for best?”

Anyway, I got to thinking, if you need some decorating ideas look at houses like this. They will give you some good ideas that you can do at home. Remember paint is cheap!

Tawra

P.S What is this about moving, again? (this will be my 15th move in 17 years. No we aren’t n the military, just nuts!)

I am a type A personality. I am the only person I know who gets these thoughts in her head. Here was my conversation with myself.

“I wonder when we should go to Colorado this summer for 2 weeks.” (this is the only place we go on vacation because we can stay with family.)

“Wow, we really should go in August because I don’t want to deal with the heat and humidity here.”

“Hum, Mike’s folks were wanting to rent out their rental to long term renters maybe we could stay a month.”

“I really don’t want to even be here for the summer, maybe we could pack up the kids and stay the summer? We can take the business with us.”

“Maybe I will just go look at real estate prices, they say they are falling there.”

I went to look at prices on realtor.com.

(Call to Mike) “I think we should move to Colorado.”

Mike: “Let’s go, how fast can we get there?”

“OK, we will look at houses when we go back next time in a few weeks”

All that happened in about 10 minutes.

What drives my family crazy is that I do this all the time! I will just get an idea in my head and then start running with it!

(Tawra Thinking-”Hum, when should we take our Colorado vacation? Let’s just save some time and move there instead!” LOL)

That’s how this book and website got started!

Anyway, I have been painting everything that needs it and getting ready in case we decide to go ahead and put the house on the market and move.  All that because I was thinking for 10 minutes! LOL

What she failed to mention was that means I too need to plan on moving. Where the grandkids go I must follow. I always say since the first day my first child (Tawra) was born I have been exhausted and continue to be exhausted. It didn’t get any better when she grew up and moved away from home. I don’t want to discourage any of you new parents out there who think it gets easier as they grow up but it doesn’t they just multiply and you have more : ) not that I mind.

I haven’t even gotten everything unpacked from my last move. Now that’s rough or the bright side is I won’t have to pack as much.

Jill

“Because we think we have to give our kids everything they want … we are losing everything we have.”

Stephanie (kyleesmom) made this comment recently  on the blog. Boy did she put it all in a nutshell. This is true for the parents too because we think we deserve everything we want…we are losing everything we have.

Be careful God has given most of us a certain amount of money and in some cases children and He wants us to use it wisely for the care of those children.

Jill

I was watching a morning show today and they were talking about how a lady didn’t know what she was going to do because she owed $163,000 in student loans and was only earning $50,000 now.

The experts of course helped her negotiate the student loans down to a lower price for her.

Jack started crying so I didn’t hear if they said this or not but I would like to point out that if you can’t pay cash for college then you shouldn’t be going! Period!

Frankly I’m tired of hearing people whining about how they just “can’t” pay for their student loans because they aren’t earning enough.

Why is it people think it’s ok to have student loans on their backs for 10-20 years but they can’t take 6-8 years to go to school part time and work to pay cash for it?

The fact is you should be paying cash for college. For years people worked at night, on the weekends and in the summer to pay for it.  They worked hard to get scholarships and grants to help pay for it.  They worked hard to pay their living expenses; they scrimped and saved so they wouldn’t have any debt after school.

If you have kids that are planning to start college next year or are there right now encourage them to pay cash for it themselves.

You may have to start at a junior college to get the basics, work to get scholarships and grants and yes, go part time so you can work full time, to pay for it and your living expenses.

If you are a parent and feel the need to help your kids out with school that’s fine but all your debt should be paid off first including your house. If your house and debt is paid off then you will have the extra to help out.

Tawra

We had to take my son to the emergency room again the other night. We aren’t the type to go for every little thing and usually go only for big, gapping, bleeding things but it does seem like we have to go there all the time. So much so I keep an “emergency room” bag packed and hanging by my purse.

It has snacks, sewing, books to read etc. because going to the emergency room can mean a many hour wait. When the kids were little I would have to sometimes take the child that wasn’t hurt with me too. They would get hungry or restless and the things in my bag would help.

Well anyway my son dropped a large log on his toe cutting and smashing it pretty good (this is a hazard you don’t always hear about when heating your home with wood : )  He is fine just is suppose to be on crutches for a few days.

Anyway he had a good tip for me to give to our readers. When they were fixing his toe the nurse took out a large tube of antibacterial ointment to apply to it. He asked her “Are you throwing that tube out?” and she said “Yes, did he want it because he had paid for it?”. He said it is enough ointment to last their family for 3-4 years it is so big. Then she took a huge piece of gauze and cut a small piece from it again he asked for the remains.

You can ask for these things. My mom has gotten scissors that they use when putting in stitches or tweezers when they take out stitches.

Also be careful if you are admitted to the hospital to take your regular meds with you or have a family member bring them to you. These are what are called self administered drugs. Meds which you take on a daily basis. Be sure to tell the doctor you are on them and have them with you.

My mom had to go the the hospital and was there one night. They asked what regular (self administered) meds she took and she told them. They gave them to her while she was there. She received a bill for $529 just for 3 pills and 1 aspirin. She called the pharmacy and found out that a 3 month supply of all of the same pills together would only be $125. If she had brought her own meds with her it would have cost nothing.

This is a perfect example of how leaders (people in charge of hospitals, schools, government and business) are so messed up and aren’t looking in the right areas with common sense on how to save money with medical costs, school costs, business costs etc. It isn’t we need more money but we need to use what we have more wisely.

Jill

PS. I didn’t write this to open up a can of worms about the medical issues happening in our country right now. I’m not burying my head in the sand, I just don’t want arguing on the blog. Please comment with these things in mind because if there is negative stuff I won’t post it. I just wanted you to be aware of some things to save you money and to let you know not to be afraid to ask to take these things home with you.

PS I do appreciate all of the great nurses and sometimes doctors who ask if I would like to take things home because I have paid for them. They are a super help and kind in so many ways. Thank you nurses.

Note from Tawra: I’m sure some of you are wondering where we stand on the government health care issue. Even having a chronic illness and being denied medical coverage we still think it’s about the dumbest thing they could do.  Yes, some things need to be worked on but having the government do it is not going to make it better, only worse.

I have been hitting the newsletter and the blog pretty heavy the past few days on the subject of getting organized, weight loss and getting out of debt but this morning I am taking a quick turn for the moment.

While I was looking up something to answer a readers question a came across some notes I had written years ago in a class I had taken. We get so many questions over and over about meals and meal planning and when I saw this statement I thought this is like Meal Planning 101. It is clear, simple and pretty much covers everything you need to know when fixing a meal.

I know I have now got your curiosity up ( I hope) so here it goes:

Meals should be planned, regular,on time, taste good, be nutritious, fit budget, smell good and be attractive.

It might help to write this statement out and keep it in your kitchen some where or with your coupons and meal planning things because as you plan your meals you can go quickly go over the list and see if your meal fits all or most of these.

If you remember the above statement that is all you  really need to know but I decided to add a little to it to help give your some ideas of what that statement means.

Planned - planning helps to save money at the store and gets rid of the last minute stress of “What am I fixing tonight for dinner!!!!!????”

Regular - we so often know we need nutritious meals but sometimes don’t realize having meals on a regular basis really helps our digestive system to function better. That means picking a time to have dinner close to the same time each day.

It also helps our families emotionally. We are built to like consistency in our lives especially children. There is something comforting in knowing no matter what frustrating things happened in their day when your family arrives home there is one constant in their life - dinner. If you don’t think this to be true try it for a week or two then stop doing it and see how your family reacts.

On time - this can be a little tricky for new cooks. It takes a little practice but you can learn to do it. Start fixing the food that will take the longest to cook first and then the next longest etc. Also do as much ahead of time as possible. This goes for everyone.

Brand new cooks may want to set the table way before you even begin the meal because it is one less thing to deal with but with practice you can usually set the table while you are waiting for something to cook on the stove. You will with practice also get to the point where you can toss a salad while you are waiting for the potatoes to cook but this all comes with time.

Taste Good - pick foods your family likes, learn to cook. I know this can be a challenge for some of you I mean some do have a harder time learning to cook then others just like some are better gardeners, sewers etc. but you really need to try the best you can to learn some basics.

Also you may have to work a little at finding foods which taste good. For example you may have to try different brands and types of things.

Fresh doesn’t always mean it tastes better either. For example most of the time I can’t tell any difference when I use frozen or fresh broccoli in my cooked foods but I can tell a difference in the brands of frozen broccoli I buy. To save money you may want to use frozen for something like this and use your savings to buy fresh foods where you really can tell a difference.

Be nutritious - I have touched on this a lot in other articles but basically this means you need to learn about nutrients and what your family needs.

Fit budget - you may want to have steak for dinner but your budget only allows chicken so chicken it is.

Smell Good - You truly use all of your senses when you eat. If your family can’t get it past their nose it won’t make it into their mouth.

Plus emotionally food smells have a strong impact on people especially when those are connected with home and family. How often do you hear an adult talk about memories of home and half of the time they will mention some smell they remember.

Be Attractive - Like I mentioned above, we use all of our senses. If it doesn’t look good or looks “grouse” they won’t eat it. Don’t forget to use lots of different colored food. Not only does this help with eye appeal but it also is an easy way to know you are giving your family a balanced meal for nutrients.

Don’t forget too to use different shapes and textures of food.

Meal planning is one of those jobs we tend to let go because we don’t consider them as important or as pressing as other things. Kinda like folding clothes and putting them away. We can get them washed and dried but not folded and put away.

But doing and following through with these things can really make our lives easier, can get rid of a lot of stress and always saves us money. Rethink some things in your life which you are letting slide you might be surprised a what a difference changing a few things will make.

Jill

It’s the beginning of a new year. There seems to be only 3 topics everyone thinks about; how to get out of debt, lose weight and get your house clean and organized. Just look at all the magazines or TV shows. It is every where.

I to am not immune to any of these. I was sitting and gazing around my domain and looking at the mess. I had really let things go.  As I was looking I started thinking “I need to get busy and clean things up but where do I start besides I was just too exhausted to start”. I just can’t do do it I told myself I’m too tired.

I then realized what I was saying. I could do it, I just was tired and didn’t want to do it. I made myself get up and start clearing the one pile of things in my kitchen that had been driving me crazy for ages. When I was done it looked so good I was energized and started on another spot. Before I knew it I had the whole kitchen done and it hadn’t even taken me 30 mins.

What dawned on me that day was how often we aren’t honest with ourselves in making excuses for not doing things. For example when I said I can’t do it that it really wasn’t the truth. I could do it I just didn’t want to do it or feel like doing so to ease my conscience I said I can’t do it.

I wonder what would happen is each time when we say “I can’t do it” we would change it to “I don’t want to do it because it will be a lot of hard work and/or sacrifice”.

Another excuse we use is “I don’t know how to do it.” Then you need to learn how. In this day and age we have access to so much knowledge there is almost no reason for not finding out how to do something.

Years ago before the internet, libraries etc. when someone didn’t know how to do something they did it by trial and error until they got it right. Today more often then not we seem to think when we say we don’t know how to do something it means we don’t have to bother to try or do it.

I always think of Thomas Edison and how it took him over a thousand tries to make the light bulb. Am I glad he didn’t say I can’t or I don’t know how. You see what an impact excuses can make on our life and others.

Last but not least one other excuse we so often use to get out of doing something is ” I don’t know where to begin” In most cases it really doesn’t matter where you begin. The important thing is just to begin.

If you are trying to get out of debt begin by stopping your spending. That step alone will make a big difference.

If you want to lose weight stop eating so much. Interesting in both of these you begin by stopping something.

And last if you are trying to clean your home you can pretty much just start any where. I also love it when people use the excuse of I don’t know how when it comes to cleaning. Do you really not know how to pick up the trash off of your living room floor or put those dirty clothes in the hamper?

Next time you hear yourself saying these things stop, pause and think am I being honest or am I sounding just like my 10 year old when he or she is trying to get out of doing their chores or homework. Hummm? I wonder where they learned their excuses from?I know I had to stop and pause myself several times this past week.

Now if these excuses have become like a comfortable old sweater to you that is ok too. Check out our website and books where you will find so many things to help inspire you to do things when you think you can’t, to help show you “how to” and to show you where to begin.

I will also try to keep coming up with tips and ideas of how to get out of debt and clean in the future.

Can we do it? Yes we can. (well for those of us who can get out of bed today - this is a little side joke for those with CFS or FM : )

Jill

Just a little reminder for those of you who haven’t peeked at the newsletter yet we are having our big Christmas sell this week. We often get asked when is it going on sale again and the time has now arrived.

We often want our children to be given lots of opportunities, to be exposed to and to try so many things. We spend hours and lots of money taking them to music lessons, karate lessons, football practice, dance lessons so they will be well rounded when they grow up.

Sometimes though we get so busy doing all these things we can forget or don’t have the time to teach them basic life skills. Two of those are cooking and being a wise steward of their money. Dining on a Dime helps with both of those so this Christmas instead of giving your collage age child another CD, DVD or electronic toy why not give them a copy of Dining on a Dime to help and encourage them in both areas.

It would be an unexpected gift for that young man moving out on his own and of course don’t forget your mom, sister or best friend. It would even be fun to give a young girl along with a set of tea towels to add to her hope chest.

If you know someone who has lost their job or are struggling financially right now toss in a copy of Dining along with a bag of groceries to help them learn how to stretch those groceries.

Don’t forget to stock up too for the coming year for birthdays, showers, wedding gifts etc. and as a gift for our older cooks. I’m so surprised at how many seasoned (70, 80 years old) cooks we get who say they have learned so much from Dining.

Hope we can help you get a nice chunk of your holiday shopping done this week and to save while doing it.

Jill

You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.

Translated in “Jillese” If you pay for something on credit today you will have still have to  pay for it tomorrow. You aren’t getting it for free. The same goes for all those buy now and you don’t have to pay until the year 2011 ads.  Be careful.

I’m not sure why but when we started using credit cards we lost all responsibility for our money. Holiday shopping is already starting so be very careful and think about things each time you pull all that credit card to pay. You will be responsible for it tomorrow (or next month).

That quote goes for other things besides money. You may decide you aren’t going to do the dinner dishes today but trust me they will be there in the morning for you (I hate to be the one to break it to you but there really aren’t any house fairies who come in the night and do them) :) And one day you will have to break down and clean out that closet.

I think you get my drift. It’s Monday so try to get up, make a plan and then work it. Set your home in order for the week.

Jill

Hi there, I’m Susanne Myers – better known as the Hillbilly Housewife.

This October I’m visiting various frugal living blogs to spread the word about frugal homecooking from scratch, meal planning, freezer cooking and also breast cancer awareness. My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor and I try to do a little something each October to help spread the word and help out breast cancer research foundation financially. This year I decided to donate 20% of all profits from my e-books and HBHW Club sales to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
Tawra and Jill were kind enough to invite me to share some of my favorite freezer cooking tips with you right here on the Living on a Dime Blog. Over the next couple of days we’ll talk about how freezer cooking can save you time and money, the different methods of freezer cooking, taking advantage of grocery sales and how freezer cooking can come in handy around the holidays.
Today I want to share with you how freezer cooking saves me not only a lot of cash, but also allows me to spend more quality time with my family, no matter how busy our week is.

Freezer Cooking Saves Money

Freezer cooking allows me to spend a lot less on groceries and it has allowed us to cut out takeout and convenience food almost entirely. Those are a special treat now instead of a necessity on busy days. Instead I make a few extra meals while I’m cooking dinner on nights when we’re not rushed and then stick them in the freezer.

On a busy day, I thaw them in the fridge and then put them in the oven or crockpot to cook while we do homework or just relax for a bit before dinner.
Freezer cooking also allows me to take full advantage of grocery sales. We’ll touch on some aspects of this in a little more detail in another post this week.

Freezer Cooking Saves Time

More importantly though than the financial savings, freezer cooking saves time. There are always ways to scrounge up a little more money if needed, but time is something we can’t get back and when you have young kids, it seems to fly particularly fast.
One of my favorite ways to prepare freezer meals is to cook several batches of the same thing. We have one for dinner and the rest go into the freezer. It doesn’t take hardly any longer to make 4 meatloaves or casseroles than it does to make one and dinner preparation is super-fast on the nights were we heat up the freezer meals, leaving me plenty of time to go read books or play hide-and-go-seak with my six-year-old.

Come back tomorrow and we will get started with some of my favorite tips.
Susanne Myers – The Hillbilly Housewife
http://www.HillbillyHousewife.com
P.S. As a special thank you for reading this blog and Tawra and Jill’s newsletter, we put together a deal on my popular Freezer Cooking ebook and the recipe collections I’ve developed for it. Until midnight on October 19th 2009 you can get my entire freezer cooking system for 75% OFF (yes, you read that right)
You can grab your entire freezer cooking system for a fraction of what you’d usually pay for it just go here.

We had some people ask “if you don’t have a church right now, where does your tithe go?”

Well right now we are attending Calvary Chapel in Ft. Lauderdale, the Andover Ks or Goddard Ks branch. You may be thinking “what?”

We gather together with my brother and his family and mom and watch Pastor Bob on the Internet.  Some weeks we do it at our house and others at my brother’s house.  (This week it will be at his house since we forgot to buy propane and it’s 40 here there weekend. :-)  His preaching is excellent and very on target so we are really getting a lot out of it.  Even if you have a church I would recommend listening to him just for some fresh inspiration.

They have a live feed to their service so we get ready and are able to watch it live.

As far as tithe since Calvary is our church now we send some to them and then we send the rest to Joyce Meyer Ministries and Life Today Ministries. Both of these are are helping the widows and the orphans (as does Calvary) so we give to those. We do also support a local Children’s home.

Tawra