Cutting Grocery Costs

I was asked about how I save money on groceries again. Here's my response:

This is a little different than what you asked, but it goes with cutting back on a grocery budget. I am a mom of seven with children who range in age from 25 to 9. I collected a lot of these tips from older women who generously shared their wisdom with me when I was a young mother. I took what I could use at the time and tried to remember the rest in case I could use it later. Think of buying groceries as buying nutrition instead of food. Eating healthier leads to less cravings because the body is getting what it needs. I feed my family of nine for much, much less, and we rarely ever get sick because our immune systems are well nourished. I keep a price book, watch sales fliers, buy what is on sale in large quantities, keep our pantry well stocked, and make our menu from what we have on hand instead of making the menu and then buying ingredients which probably aren't on sale at the time. Grow what you can. Even a window garden can grow mesclun and herbs. Preserve what you can. I bought 100+ pineapples this winter for 25 cents each and 300 pounds of chicken on sale for 29 cents a pound and pressure canned it. I made jelly from our grapes. I freeze lasagnas and casseroles and also pressure can soups, beef stew, etc for "fast food." I pressure can dry beans because it's so much cheaper and lets me have the ready to use convenience too. I dehydrate herbs, meat, and fruit. I keep boiled eggs in the fridge for high protein snacks. They gobble them up about as fast as I can peel them. Don't be too rigid. I buy my children pizzas from Aldis or Sams and sodas from Walmart once a week. It hasn't affected their health a bit, and they look forward to it. Find a happy, healthy balance. Make it a fun challenge to save money on your groceries. I love it when I find a deal! When I bought landscaping for our home, I chose to invest my money in fruit trees, berry and fig bushes, passion fruit vines, and grapevines over ornamentals. These give me something usable back for my money and time caring for them. I invested in perennial garden plants that will give me years of harvests like strawberries, asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, etc. It takes a few years to get some of these things going, but it all adds up..even those pennies you don't think matter. You'll save more and more as you implement more. I took the savings at first and built up my pantry. Now, I take my grocery savings and put them in an investment account.

The Best is Yet to Come

Have you ever been on the edge of something really good happening, and then it gets delayed? The extra wait is excruciating!

My family has a very good thing about to happen. We were told March 9 was our day! Then, things fell into place sooner, and we were told March 2 could be our day!! Yay!! Then, some paperwork was lost, and we were told we'd have to wait at least through the weekend. Bummer!

Through all of the excitement and ups and downs, we have enjoyed the ride knowing that in the end, it will be worth the present hassle.

That has made me think about life and eternity. 

This life can throw sudden throat punches that leave us working hard to resume breathing. People judging you harshly and unfairly for situations they don't understand, pain, disappointment, sorrow, betrayal, rejection, abandonment, deep grief, and failure aren't things we wish for, but they are all part of the journey. Thank God the story does not end there! We will one day trade all of those in for rejoicing and reward!

May we embrace this ride and remember that in the end, it will be so very worth it! May we have excitement and anticipation for the day we stand before the One who no longer remembers our sins and loves us perfectly! May we love and encourage each other in this journey!

Colossians 3:1-7  You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.  Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth.  Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God.  Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory. So put everything evil out of your life: sexual sin, doing anything immoral, letting sinful thoughts control you, and wanting things that are wrong. And don’t keep wanting more and more for yourself, which is the same as worshiping a false god. God will show his anger against those who don’t obey him, because they do these evil things. You also did these things in the past, when you lived like them.