Building Our Holmes Together With JESUS and Summer Thoughts A ~ Z

Building Our Homes Together

With Jesus!

Hello ladies and hello to my new followers!  I have to tell you though, due to internet problems, I cannot see who my new followers are. :(  As a matter of fact, I can't see any of my followers.  I've tried on Internet Explorer and on Firefox.  Neither one are completely loading the page.  I get this "done but with errors" thing.

We will be attempting to get this repaired....

I need my techie son or son-in-law to come to my rescue!  I think honey-hunk and I have exhausted our technical knowledge.....who am I kidding, I am technically challenged from the get go!!!

How has your week been?  Can you believe this is the

8th Building Our Homes Together? 

That's pretty awesome!

I am enjoying getting to know each of you a little better and I think it is wonderful that we are beginning to see the results of our Wednesday's post, not only in our homes, but in serving others, both those who live near by and those we can help who live far away.

(Linda always comes up with the neatest ideas for serving others.  And she is a great encourager!)

Wednesdays and Fridays are my favorite days to blog ~ Building Our Homes Together, With Jesus and Fearless Fridays ~ love them both, because they lift up the LORD. 

But Satan isn't likeing either one, so the battles have been interesting!

But this just confirms my suspicion, that we are doing something good and worthwhile.  It reminds me of this verse:

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Galatians 6:9

Today, I thought we might look at a few ways to save money.  I know it is a subject I am always interested in and it is good to be a wise steward of that which the LORD has given us, particularly when it concerns money (and time).

I buy on sale.  If dishwashing soap is on sale, I buy several.  The same with flour, butter, whatever.  If it isn't on sale, I don't buy unless I absolutely have too.  At first, this was a little difficult, but after a few weeks, when you have some reserve built up, it becomes the natural thing to do.  And you will reap big savings and a full pantry.  In the beginning, I would buy 3 of everything on sale...now, I am able to buy more, depending on what it is and how often we use the item.

Many ladies make their own laundry soap, including myself.  This is another real money saver and the cost of doing laundry is reduced to pennies a load.  I love it!

Making your own beauty products is also a money saver, as is making your own breads (and mixes).  Kim at Marmee's Pantry is an excellent source for both of these money savers!  Just click on  "Frugal Living" under her Post Categories.  She has a 104 posts on frugal living.  Definitely worth your time to check it out.

(Tell her, I sent you!)

Now, I'll tell you a couple of things I do.  I save all my empty peanut butter jars.  The plastic is heavy and see through, so they make great containers for the freezer!  And they are free!;)

I save my empty cottage cheese containers (I buy the large) to freeze blackberries in.  It is just the right amount for a cobbler and the berries keep well (without leaking juice like when they are frozen in plastic bags).

During cooler weather, I keep a half gallon container in the freezer.  When we have leftovers, but not enough to save for another meal....such as a couple of tablespoons of corn, a slice or two of roast beef, beef or chicken broth, leftover chopped onions, I add these leftovers to my container....my soup container.  It really doesn't take long to fill up.  When it is full, I add a fresh chopped onion, some cubed potatoes, celery, and put a great pot of (free) soup on the stove!

This one is one of the boys' favorites!  What to do with leftover hamburger or hotdog buns?  Open them up, spread with a little tomato sauce (I add a generous helping of garlic), top with grated cheese and toast.  We call them "pizza quicks."  Leftover garlic or French bread works well, also.

We also have a change jar.  All the change I find around the house, goes into the jar....including the change that falls to the bottom of the washing machine.  In three months time, we had over $30.  We use this for something special for all the kids or to help someone.  I let the boys help decide.  It builds character.

Hope some of these ideas will be useful.  And if you feel like sharing some to the things you do to save money, I would love it!

“The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.”

Psalms  16:6

For more Building Our Homes Together posts, visit Linda at Prairie Flower Farm.

And for more Summer Thoughts A ~ Z, visit Katharine by clicking on the A ~ Z button.

May the Shalom of God be upon your homes and in your lives!

Blessings,

Cheryl

P.S.  It late and I did not proof read this....sorry!  If you have a prayer request, be sure and let me know, either in the comments or you can email me.