Here are 2 well-used tools that we use frequently. Just thought I’d share: 1. 1-800-Goog-411 Just call 1-800-GOOG-411, anytime, anywhere. How to do it? Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 from any phone. State the location and business type. Connect to the business for free. This is great when you’re out of town, or just in town but without a phone book. More details here. 2. Google Reader If you are a blog reader of multiple blogs, this can save you huge amounts of time. Especially if you are easily distracted. 🙂 If you are familiar with Gmail, the interface is very similar to Gmail. When a new post is put up on a blog, your reader interface will pick up the feed and show it in the “inbox.” I am able to read a lot more widely using this, in addition to keeping up with blogs of missionaries and friends. You can find out more about it here. (I know at least 20% of you are already using this, but thought I’d mention it for others who may not be aware of this too. :)) Of course, you don’t get to see blog design and templates this way, but it is a great time saver!.
Read MoreSaving Money on Oil Changes
Here’s a tip from my husband this week 🙂 I’m no mechanic, but mechanics will tell you that the number one thing you can do to keep your car in tip-top shape is to change the oil regularly. You will not save money by changing the oil once or twice every 100,000 miles. Instead, you will wear out your engine faster, and in the long run, will lose money big time. So, my first bit of advice is: change your oil on a consistent basis-every 5,000 miles or so. Now, lest you fear that this tip is going to recommend that you get under the car, get dirty, and change your oil yourself, think again. Did you know it can actually be less expensive to have your oil changed than to change it yourself? I have been taking my Buick to a Chevrolet dealership. There, the certified Chevrolet mechanics will 1) change my oil, 2) replace it with high-quality synthetic oil, 3) change the filter, and 4) do a once-over check on my vehicle. All for the low price of $7.99. You can’t buy 5 quarts of oil for $7.99. Dealerships often use this as a “loss leader” to try to sell you more service or parts; as long as you can say “no,” it will be a great deal. So, first, check on prices with your local dealership (we didn’t buy our car from a dealership, but dealerships will service any vehicle that they manufacture). If your dealership doesn’t run a special, you can get your oil changed at Wal*Mart for under $20, which is about the same as doing it yourself. .
Read MoreOrganizing Small Things: Earrings and Cuff Links
A friend recently loaned me The Art of Homemaking, by Daryl V. Hoole. (You can read my friend’s review of the book here.) I’ve enjoyed reading her (yes, Daryl is a woman) practical suggestions on homemaking and organization, and came across a tip I’ve now put to use. I’ve recently been working on decluttering our home and getting rid of the things that we don’t use. I’m limiting myself to a jewelry box, but even so I have been frustrated with my current system of storing all my earrings in a tiny little drawer where they easily become jumbled together. Hoole’s suggestion? Store them in an ice tray! Well that was ingenious enough to make me rush to our freezer, grab an ice tray and plop in my earrings! Minus the ice, of course. Since my husband has a homeless pair of cuff links, I realized they’d also stay nice and neat in this new storage system, too! I’m sure ice trays would make a great organizing tool for small things such as paper clips, stamps, craft items, and so much more! Pity I got rid of all our extra ice trays a few months back. That’s what works for me!.
Read MoreHow Does Our Garden Grow?
Even with no fertilizer, no pesticides, and a forgetful waterer (me), we were very pleased with the harvest that our two tomato plants yielded last year. All the way through January 1, to be exact! So, this year we’ve decided to put a little more into our garden in hopes that we’ll get a bit more from it. Since South Carolina weather has a reputation for a warm February and March followed by random ice storms in April, we decided to begin our little crops inside until they grow to be a little more hearty. (Although, the only crops which really need to begin inside are our tomato plants.) Since February, we’ve been trying to have no out-of-pocket expenditures besides our bills and gas. Fortunately, we had a Wal-Mart gift card to begin our initial gardening investment of seeds, a seed flat, and a hoe. But then our seed flat developed some mold! As a result, only about half of our seedlings are thriving. Overwhelmed with sadness 😉 , we soon realized that we really hadn’t needed to buy those seed beds after all! We could have made our own! All we needed was an empty egg carton (which we had) and some good soil (our garden soil is great)! So we’re working on starting a new seed bed, and wished we had thought of this idea sooner! Another no-cost way we are helping our garden is by saving all our organic (in the true sense of its meaning) waste to use as compost on our crops. Pictures coming soon! Well, thats what works for us!.
Read MoreMenu Plan: $20 Budget Menu
Several people have asked for a sampling of a $20/week grocery menu, so here’s a rough version… We have been extremely blessed to have so many meals provided for us after our daughter’s birth. Between provided meals and what I froze ahead, last week was really the first week for me to get back to the oven. Even then, we still had the blessing of having meals provided. However, even with our various means of having food provided at no cost, the menu listed fits well within our the $20 weekly budget system–even if I would have made the provided meal. (In fact, we’ve mainly just been doing “pantry living” for over a month now.) Since this next week has a few variables, I’m listing last week’s menu instead of our highly tentative menus for this week. I do hope to post some further examples in coming weeks, and hopefully include some recipes and pictures, too! This was definitely a very lackadaisical week as far as creativity and flair go, but an example nonetheless. Breakfasts: Oatmeal and fruit or Cereal with milk (We are able to get almost all cereal at CVS or the food yardsale.) Lunches: My husband takes a packed lunch to work with him, and we almost always both eat leftovers for lunch. I take this into account when preparing our suppers, and on a rare occasion send him to work with a PB&J sandwich. This is a bit less expensive than buying lunch meats and cheeses. For this Sunday’s lunch, we were going to have tuna casserole that I’d made ahead before our daughter was born, but a friend told us after Sunday School that they’d be bringing lunch by for us. Blessings! Suppers: Monday Apple Fried Pork and Wild Rice Broccoli Blueberry Muffins Tuesday Venison Rolled Roast with Potatoes and Carrots Toast Wednesday Mustgo Soup and Crackers (This version included: leftover roast and veggies, lentils, and wild rice—more of a stew) Thursday (A friend brought us this dinner) Chicken Casserole Beans Corn Cookies Friday Mustgo Mustgo Soup 🙂 and Homemade Pita Bread Saturday Pizza My favorite recipe is here. Sunday French Toast .
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