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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Lovin' Your Comments



This is terrible! For some weird reason (I hope does not include my better half’s attempts to work on my computer), blogspot is not completely loading and therefore making it difficult to comment ~ even on my own blog!!! It leaves me feeling like I am letting you down. That you will think I am either ignoring you or don’t care what you have to say. I am not and I do care. I really care!


Everyone that commented presented interesting insights into saving money or raised other worthwhile questions. Because of that, here are my answers to the first seven comments! Thank you for your patience. I love you!


Just Jenn said, she felt like she is feeding her family a little more healthy when she meal plans.

I agree! My crew would request French fries and macaroni & cheese along with whatever, 7 days a week. If I don’t have plan, it is more tempting to give in to their wants (and if I do that very often, their wants become demands and we don’t even want to do down that road!). None of the boys are big on salad, but they will eat nearly any vegetable raw with a little Ranch dressing. If I allow them to prepare that part of the meal, even better! That becomes a win-win situation.

Here's a tip concerning your little ones: If you encourage them to help you in the kitchen, they are more willing to try different foods.

No, I haven’t tried the Metro Mint water. Not sure we have it in this area, I’ll have to check. I like water and I also enjoy fresh lemon in my water. I do know if you add mint (particularly spearmint) to water, it will aid in weight loss.

I also cut juices with water!

Jenn, please do not worry about keeping your comments short.


Sonya said, European prices and quantities are so different from back home. She can no longer buy in bulk and make things stretch. Still, she is learning to make more with less and making many things from scratch rather than prepackaged.


First ~ for those who may not know, Sonya is an American gal in Holland (I hope I got that right, Sonya) and I am sure things there are different. I understand they eat a lot of fish…I mean a lot of fish! (See, I read the latest Sisterchick book! LOL) Write Bentonville and tell them you need a SAMS, asap!…I’m just kidding. I am sure if I was in Holland I would have an interesting time adjusting to what is available.

I do think for the most part, anytime you can make something from scratch rather than buying prepackaged, you will save money and it will be healthier. Face it, you probably aren’t going to add MSG, high fructose corn syrup and all those colorants and preservatives to the dishes you make from scratch. It amazes me, that nearly everything we buy in the USA has so many additives, which I believe are having an adverse affect on our health. Think about how rampant diabetes is now (high fructose corn syrup + everything = diabetes).

A few weeks ago, I prepared something for supper (sorry, that’s what we call it) and dh wanted beans (I know you think we probably live on beans. Maybe we do!) and I didn’t have any cooked, so he suggested I open a can of Ranch Style beans. Which I did. But while they were heating, I read the label. Why would you put high fructose corn syrup in beans? Not baked beans mind you, but ones that are seasoned more like a chili bean. I was shocked!



Dianna ~ thank you, for all the kind things you say and the encouragement you offer! You are precious and I appreciate your thoughts

PropellerHeadMom agreed that each trip to the store for milk or bread resulted in a lot more than milk and bread.


Those grocery guys are sneaky that way! They sure know how to appeal to our stomachs and our purse strings. They are a dangerous bunch. LOL

You can save even more on the grocery bill if you get a few hens and a milk goat (or cow). Hahaha ~ of course, you’ll be adding a bill from your local Feed Store. But when there is nothing else, you can scramble up some eggs or make biscuits and gravy.


Lynette said ~ (I)so agree if there is anyone home for meals lately it is just me sitting here, so find I skip too many meals and end up eating junk.

I hear what you are saying Lynette! And junk can be expensive too, along with being unhealthy.

I find it helps if I have something already prepared. If we are cooking out, I try to have dh cook a couple of extra chicken breast or hamburger patties. I also try to keep cans of tuna on hand. (And while it isn't the best choice, I love peanut butter toast, a trait I inherited from my mother.)

With the beginning of the New Year and all my "good intentions" I made homemade granola. It is so easy to make and you can eat it with coffee (it taste a lot like oatmeal cookies) or add milk and eat like a cereal. If anyone is interested in the recipe, I will be happy to share.



Momza,
thanks again for the kind words. I tried to connect with you several times today by leaving a comment on your blog. Since that wasn't working for me, I sent you an email.

Katie, keep working on a title!

Yes, I have bean recipes and will be sharing them. It is kind of like the old saying when asked what’s for supper, “A thousand things and all of them beans.”


While I am thinking about it, Suzanne over on Chickens In the Road has a new post about Getting Ready to Make Homemade Soap. We are going to start making our own soap this spring. I thought Suzanne's article was wonderful.

You can find out about both giveaways mentioned in the prior post, Katie's here and mine here near the bottom of the post.

May each of you be blessed!

5 comments:

  1. Cheryl,

    Thought I'd let you know that your family isn't the only one that eats lots of beans! :) We grow green beans, lima beans, kidney beans, bird egg beans. I think that's all...then I fix dry Great Northern beans, buy black beans and cannelli beans! :) We have an elderly lady at our church that I just love to spend time with. She asked me one day what I was canning and I started naming all of the different beans. Her response was, "Beans, beans, beans! Is that all you eat?" Then we both laughed! Love it!

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  2. Hey there, Cheryl,

    Thanks for stopping by today. I wanted to come back here and answer your question about where I get all of ME pics. I subscribed one year to THE HOME COMPANION...and that is where today's pic came from. The others that I've posted have been magnets that I got at Michael's Craft Store for either 50 cents or a dollar. Seriously...never pay over a dollar! And they also have matching notepads for the same price. I have several more pics that I've used as pics in my journal that I will share as time goes by. I love Mary's perspective on life!

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  3. Yep you got it right..I am an american living in the netherlands or holland:) There is fish all over but wouldnt you know it..we live about 2 hrs from the sea so we pay top dollar for the fish here..lol It's fun to see what you can make yourself at home though. At times it can be frustrating but worthwhile in the long run!

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  4. I forgot to mention earlier, Cheryl, that I would love to read your devotional!

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  5. How'd I get here and how long could I stay...and read...and read...

    What a delightful blog.
    'Nuff said. Keeping it simple gives me more time to read... and read...

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