Frugal Decorating Ideas
Cheap and Easy Ways To Give Every Room In Your Home A Mini-Makeover
You may be looking around your home thinking “Oh, I wish I had money to decorate!”
Anyone who has watched Trading Spaces knows that giving your house a quick makeover doesn’t have to break the bank!
Simple Ways To Spruce Up Your Space
A gallon of paint will give any room a complete facelift! Always check out the ‘oops’ gallons at places like Home Depot. People request colors and never pick them up, or the person mixing the paint doesn’t get the shade quite right. Oftentimes these colors are just putrid, but sometimes you’ll find a gorgeous color that’s a steal! I’ve decorated plenty of rooms from other people’s leftover paints — and loved the results!
Fresh flowers in a vase make a wonderful addition to any room in your home. Pick the flowers from your own yard to save even more money.
Framed pictures of family and friends are a must. If you have them printed in black and white, they’ll never go out of style!
Add mirrors to open up a small room. Mirrors are a great way to decorate, especially in rooms with low light.
Richly scented candles make every room feel welcoming. Between the soft lighting, and the scent, you can’t go wrong with candles.
New throw rugs and runners at the entrance to your home make a great first impression.
The Bathroom
This is the least expensive room in your home to completely redecorate. A new shower curtain, a rug or two, soap dispenser, cup, some decorative hand towels – and your bathroom has a whole new look.
Try a bathroom theme! How about one of these ideas from the standard to the very original?
* Ocean or Sea theme
* Medieval Times
* The Orient
* Western theme
* Rubber Duckies
* Floral – victorian
* Floral – funky
Or work from one of your favorite paintings and take a color scheme from it. Let Dali or even Andy Warhol inspire your color palette.
Your Kitchen
If new cabinets or the island you always dreamed of are not in your budget, give your kitchen a fresh look by shopping for new decorative kitchen towels and potholders and new matching tablecloth and placemat sets. I love changing my kitchen for the seasons and holidays! A wine rack or framed placemat from a fun restaurant can be the inspiration!
Your Living/Family Room
A few new lamps, a large area rug or an art piece on a bare wall can add life to a dull and tired living room. While these items can be costly, they are certainly more affordable than an entertainment center or sofa.
How about some funky toss pillows and throws for chairs and couches? A little imagination and makes up for not having a big wallet!
The Bedroom
A new bedding set is enough to give your bedroom a major boost! Treat yourself and your spouse to a set of silk or satin sheets to match your new comforter! Search for quality, inexpensive silk sheets & save up to 80% at Overstock.com!
Super Savings Only From Overstock.com!
Budgeting for the Big Change
Treat yourself to a home decorating magazine. Dream big and set your goals high for what you want your house to eventually look like, but start on a smaller scale.
Plan! Mistakes cost money, so really plan your look thoroughly.
Start a Home Improvement Fund by saving change in a jar. When the jar is full, deposit it into a savings account specifically for redecorating your home.
Pick up things here and there slowly. Eventually, you’ll have enough to re-do a room. Buy one new item for the room you plan to spruce as you can afford to.
Don’t forget to shop in places like estate sales, charity sales, and moving sales. You’ll never know when you can find an amazing piece of furniture for a great price!
Sometimes the smallest changes equal the biggest difference in decorating. Don’t start out too big. Good things come to those who wait…and those who are bargain hunters!
How Clutter Chases Money Away
Have you ever heard that having a cluttered home can cause money to run away from you?
I know, I know…it sounds like airy-fairy mumbo jumbo, but think about it for a moment…
Has your desk ever been so cluttered that you forgot to pay a bill and incurred a late fee?
Has your cluttered purse caused you to forget to enter in a debit card purchase and you then overdrew your account?
Have you ever injured yourself in your own home when you tripped over “stuff” cluttering up walkways?
Have you ever bought something that you already owned, simply because you couldn’t find the item in question? Have you ever found overdue late library books or movie rentals under your messy car seats?
Are you getting my point here?
To save yourself time AND money, implement some of these tips:
*Every evening when you turn off the computer, spend just 2 minutes clearing off your desk or workspace. When it becomes a habit you will do it without thinking and it then takes seconds.
*Once a week (or more often depending on your habits!) take a minute to clear out your purse. Pick a day to do this and do it every week.
*Enter your purchases in your checkbook immediately before the receipt has a chance to disappear!
*Open your mail standing over a trash can. That way you can immediately toss the junk mail instead of laying it aside.
*Once a day (before bed is a great time) take just 2 minutes to walk through the house with a trash bag in your hand, and throw away paper trash, magazines, junky plastic toys that seem to multiply overnight, etc.
*Before you log off your computer at the end of a workday, take a moment to delete any favorite places or organize them into folders. Do the same with email. (Better yet, set up your email program to automatically file certain emails into folders as they download.) This will save you time when you need to find things later on.
*The day before you go grocery shopping, clean out your fridge. It’s emptier now so this is easy to do, and you can grab all the leftover bits to make “Refrigerator Stew” instead of letting those items go to waste.
And my personal favorite:
*Never own more than one laundry basket. The more you own, the more you fill up with clean,unfolded laundry!
And just for fun, here’s the airy-fairy stuff:
Having a cluttered home or office can make you feel tired and overwhelmed, because you have an emotional attachment to everything you own. It’s as if a tiny string is connecting every possession to your subconscious mind.
Do you have kids?
Have you ever noticed how your child behaves when s/he has too many choices? How about when they’ve been given a ton of gifts? Do they not get irritable and frenzied? They can’t decide “what to do” with so much stuff around that they pitch it all and play with the box…it’s simple!
I organized my kid’s room the other day (I go on a tear and do this periodically), putting all the toys into categories, organizing them into containers, throwing a lot away,puttting some things away for later, and lo and behold! They NEVER played in there before,and now they’re in their room all the time playing peacefully.
It’s the same with us!
A cluttered home means you will have less energy for your business or other work.
I hope these ideas help you save time and money.
Carrie Lauth publishes a free “no fluff” newsletter for the Mom new to internet business. Get your free subscriber goodies at http://www.business-moms-expo.com/newsletter.html
Frugal Grocery Shopping
There are two ways to save money on your groceries, buy less or pay less. But it doesn’t end there because there are lots of different ways to do these two things.
Buying Less
Buying less always sounds like you have to cut down on what you buy but this isn’t always true. Spending less always sounds like going into the supermarket with a bag full of coupons. True, these are ways to cut down on your grocery shopping bills but with a little bit of thought you could probably cut down your spending many other ways too.
You may be able to buy less because you are using less or reusing the same things more than once like plastic bags and containers. You can also buy less by making things last longer like diluting fruit juices. This will help you save money and calories.
Another way to buy less and save on your grocery shopping is to buy smart and think about all the things that you might be wasting because they’ve gone bad or expired before it gets used. Large yogurt pots and some fruits and vegetables can cause this problem.
Also think about all the disposable items you might be buying that could be replaced by a permanent item, for example permanent coffee filters, plastic food containers instead of disposable bags, razors for shaving, even water filters. There must be tons of people throwing money away because they buy bottled water instead of using a water filter that dollar for dollar gives you probably ten times the same amount of fresh filtered water.
Pay Less
The most common ways to pay less for items is to buy the items on sale, buy cheaper brands, or buy in bulk. Often items that are reduced to clear are perfectly suitable to consume – it’s just that the store has to sell them quickly or face throwing them out.
Also avoid impulsive buying. Many people buy impulsively because the products are there on the shelf in front of them. You know what they say, never go grocery shopping when you are feeling hungry or without a list.
You can also shop around different stores to find bargains and you might be surprised by how much you can save.
Be weary of supermarket tricks. Things like raising the price of a popular brand for about two weeks then ‘price cutting’ to just below the original price to make it look like it’s on special offer.
Supermarkets can raise and lower their prices to match the supplier’s situation. So if a product supplier is struggling to supply apples one week, then the price will go up, and when the apples start flooding back in again, a special offer price will appear.
But don’t make the common mistakes that many people make. When supermarkets put things on special offer, such as ‘buy one and get one free’ people think this is a great deal. It often is, but this may make you simply consume more so you really won’t be saving much at all.
The best ‘two for the price of one’ offers are on things that you can only consume at a certain rate like bathroom and cleaning products, such as toothpaste and soap powder.
The same thing goes for coupons. Sure coupons are a great way to save money on groceries but if you’re buying things you normally wouldn’t buy or twice as much to get the special sale price then you may actually end up spending more. Often times the coupon offers are higher priced items than the store brands.
By the same token, be careful of store brand or value products that are cheaper imitations of the real thing. Buying lower quality can be a money saver if you choose wisely, but if you end up using twice as much and the product lasts half as long, then you might as well enjoy the real thing.
Quick Kids’ Meals
Kids have to eat. Three meals a day, every day. All moms know how important it is to have an arsenal of quick kids’ meals handy. You never know when you’ll have to put healthy food on the table in a hurry, or when you need quick ideas so dad can help.
Dunk It
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.” ~ Jim Davis “Garfield”
Lucky for us, kids love dip. Cut some fresh cucumbers, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, celery, and bell peppers and serve them with ranch dressing. Even finicky veggie-haters will eat their veggies with dressing on them.
Saved by a Sandwich
“All sorrows are less with bread.” ~ Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote
Start with two waffles, an English muffin, bagel, croissant, or a hotdog, hoagie or hamburger bun. Simply add jam, peanut butter, fruit slices, meat, hummus, veggies, eggs, or cheese. The possibilities are endless.
Oodles of Noodles
“The trouble with eating Italian food is that five or six days later you’re hungry again.” ~ George Miller
If you’ve got noodles, you can make a meal. Add some salad dressing and some meat, garbanzo beans and veggies and you’ve got pasta salad. Or, start with noodles and add a little butter and parmesan cheese to make buttered noodles. And, there’s always the classic standby – add pasta sauce and a dollop of cottage cheese onto noodles and you just made lasagna.
Wrap it Up
“The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.” ~ Calvin Trillin.
If you’ve got tortillas and leftovers, you’ve got a wonderful meal. Warm up your leftovers and wrap them up in a tortilla with some cheese. Voila! Leftovers Burrito.
Spuds from Heaven
“My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.” ~ Oprah Winfrey
Potatoes are a meal waiting to happen. Microwave a potato, pile on cheese of any sort (cheddar, mozzarella, cottage cheese) and some meat, veggies, or even salsa or sunflower seeds, and you have a delicious dinner.
Soup Warms the Soul
“Worries go down better with soup.” ~ Jewish Proverb
Fill a pan with broth and veggies. Then, just throw in whatever you have in the house, meat or beans, leftovers, a can of diced tomatoes, noodles or rice, and spices. You just made soup in minutes.
Turn the Day Upside Down
“I went to a restaurant that serves ‘Breakfast at any time’. So I ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.” ~ Steven Wright
You can have breakfast any time, too. Cereal, eggs & bacon, waffles, or pancakes. Breakfast is always better at night.
Next time you’re in a position to magically make a quick kids meal, refer back to this list and presto – you’ll have dinner on the table in minutes.
Visit http://www.freequickrecipes.com for more food ideas. And, if you’re looking to save money by making frugal meals, visit http://www.freequickrecipes.com/frugal-cooking.php .
Cheap Party Food – Cold Pasta Salad
by Angela Tyler
Has this ever happened to you? You’ve been invited to a party and realize you don’t have a meal to bring. Not only that, but the party starts in an hour. What should you do?
You have four options:
1. Don’t go, and miss out on a really fun time.
2. Show up empty-handed and explain red-faced that you forgot.
3. Grab an empty casserole dish and head to the deli. Order your food and have them put it right into your casserole dish. Yes, I’ve gone this. It’s expensive but it works. If you get asked for the recipe, just wink and say “It’s Grandma’s secret recipe”.
4. Whip up a big batch of pasta salad for only a few dollars, and have plenty left over to eat for lunch during the week. You will save money and look good showing up at the party with a great dish.
Pasta salad is truly one of the easiest meals to prepare. All you need are noodles and salad dressing. You can use pretty much any salad dressing on the market – the standards like Italian, Ranch, or, if you’re ambitious, your favorite homemade dressing.
Now for the fun part. Cook the noodles, following package directions and then drain. Pour the dressing on while the noodles are warm so they will absorb all that good oily flavor.
Look around your kitchen to see if you have any of the following ingredients:
Fresh veggies – carrots, broccoli, green onions
Frozen vegetables – frozen peas are wonderful in pasta salad
Cubed or shredded cheese
Garbanzo beans (also known as Chick Peas)
Black Olives
Toss in whatever you can find. It’s an ‘everything goes’ type of recipe. Bring more dressing with you in case you need to add it later, and voila! You’re done.
If you’re feeling fancy, you can bring some cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, bacon bits or sunflower seeds as toppings. It’s all good.
The next time you are invited to a party, don’t panic. Just grab these instructions and whip up a meal in minutes. Enjoy!
Are you a mom who’d rather play than cook? If so, you won’t want to miss www.freequickrecipes.com. And, if frugal cooking is your thing, then check out http://www.freequickrecipes.com/frugal-cooking.php
Cheap Party Food – Throw A Great Party Without Spending A Fortune
by Angela Tyler
If you are planning a party, you already know that food can be one of your biggest expenses. However, you can take several steps to cut your party food costs. It is not necessary to purchase expensive appetizers and beverages to throw a great party. A little imagination and effort can make your party a memorable occasion.
Here are some ideas and suggestions to help you save money on food when throwing your next party:
Finger foods are fun
Small sandwiches, chips, dips, and vegetable trays are relatively inexpensive and you won’t need to bother with place settings and bringing out your best china. Simply supply napkins and small paper plates and allow your guests to serve themselves from an assortment of bite size goodies.
Have a potluck
A potluck is certainly cheaper than hiring a caterer and you will save a lot of time and money by having your guests prepare a dish to share with others. Potluck is fun and you will surely end up with an interesting assortment of foods. To make things simpler, include a suggestion as to what type of dish you would like your guests to bring such as a dessert, vegetable, or salad.
Go Italian
If your party will be a dinner party where fingers foods are not appropriate, you can try spaghetti with garlic bread and salad, or you could find a good deal on pizza that you can have delivered. You will save time and it is quite easy to find a bargain on different types of pizza.
Back to basics
Fruit and cheese are excellent choices for casual party foods that don’t require fancy place settings or dishes. Buy fresh fruit in season when you are likely to find certain varieties on sale and fill your table will a variety of cheeses, crackers, and perhaps olives and nuts.
Thrifty Thirst Quenchers
For party beverages, two-liter soft drinks and bottled water are inexpensive and very easy to serve. Provide ice and cups and allow your guests to serve themselves. Tea and coffee are cheap as is lemonade that you make fresh or from concentrate.
Your party does not have to cost a lot of money to be a huge success. Look for sales on the foods and beverages you choose and plan ahead so you will have time to shop around be fore you buy.
Visit http://www.freequickrecipes.com for delicious meal ideas.
Banish Boring Brown Bag Lunches
by Cyndi Roberts
One way that money slips through our fingers without our realizing it is by eating out at lunch every day.
Did you know that by taking your lunch 3 days a week instead of eating out, you could save as much as $800 a year? Think what you could do with that much extra money!
Your lunch doesn’t have to be a sandwich and chips, either. With just a little bit of creativity and planning, brown bag lunches can be pretty delicious!
Try these ideas for starters:
Invest in a few of those 1-serving plastic storage containers with lids. These are so handy–when you have just one serving left of any dish at dinner, put it in one of these dishes. Designate a shelf in the fridge for these leftovers. In the mornings, anyone in the family can choose what to put in
their lunch bag!
Those little containers can also be used to hold dip for carrot or celery sticks; fill with peanut butter and pack a zipper bag of pretzels for dipping. Maybe salsa for dipping tortilla chips (not so healthy, but really good!)
Or make your own pudding cups with your homemade pudding!
Fill tortillas or pita pockets with egg or tuna salad.
Spread cream cheese on a tortilla, add a little salsa, and top with sliced turkey or ham. Place another tortilla on top, cut in fourths and put in zipper top bag.
A good way to carry deviled eggs (that lunchbox staple)– after filling, put the two halves back together, and wrap in plastic wrap or put in a small container!
Muffins hold up well in a lunch bag or box as do slices of banana nut bread, or most any other quick bread. Great for morning or afternoon breaks
Of course, if your workplace has a microwave oven, (lucky you!) you can always bring leftover soup, stew or chili. A quick recipe for
Chicken Corn Chowder
1 pouch Chicken Noodle Soup Mix with diced chicken
2 1/4 cups milk
1 can cream-style corn
Combine all ingredients in saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until noodles are tender, uncovered, stirring frequently, because it will stick!
Mix this up in the evening or on the weekend and store in serving-size containers. Just grab a container in the morning, along with some crackers, and you’re good to go!
Try some of these ideas for your lunches this week and start saving some money!
And at the same time, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you and/or your spouse will be having a more nutritious meal than you would get at a fast-food restaurant.
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Cyndi Roberts is the editor of “1 Frugal Friend 2 Another” bi-weekly newsletter, bringing you creative, practical tips to help you with budgeting, cooking, shopping, parenting and much more as you strive to “live the Good Life… on a budget”.
Frugal Nutritious Snacks for Children
by Cyndi Roberts
Lately, there has been a lot in the news concerning obesity in America. And not just in adults–our children are over-weight, also.
It’s not surprising, considering the advertising dollars that are spent each year aimed at persuading children that potato chips, candy bars and other “junk food” are good for them.
While we may not be able to change the world, we can change what is available to our children in our own homes.
Here are a few healthy alternatives to those fat and sugar laden “store-bought” snacks.
Peanut Butter Balls
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoons powdered milk
Mix ingredients well, shape into balls. Roll in coconut if desired. Store in refrigerator.
Popcorn
Popcorn is a great snack food. It is a good source of fiber and low in calories–until you add toppings. Don’t add salt, but try sprinkling grated Parmesan or American cheese on top.
Zipper top bags of popcorn are handy for taking along on picnics and other outings.
Honey “Cracker Jacks”
6 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup butter or margarine
6 cups popped popcorn
1 cup peanuts
Melt honey and butter in microwave until melted and blended. Let cool. Mix peanuts and popcorn; pour honey mixture over and stir till coated. Spread in single layer in shallow baking pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Stir several times during baking. Watch closely so it doesn’t burn.
Store in airtight container.
Apricot Nectar
Soak 1/2 cup dried apricots in 2 cups of pineapple juice for about 1 hour.
Process in blender till smooth.
Fruity Soda Drink
Combine equal amounts of carbonated water with fruit juice. Sweeten with honey, if desired.
Banana Smoothie
1 1/4 cups milk
1 banana
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Process in blender till smooth. This is a good way to use up bananas.
With summer coming up, frozen snacks will be on our grocery
lists. Why not try these alternatives?
Homemade Frozen Pops
1 6-oz. can frozen juice concentrate, softened
(try orange, grape, or fruit punch)
1 juice can water
2 containers of plain yogurt
popsicle sticks and cups
Process in blender. Pour into cups and insert sticks.Freeze.
Small paper cups work pretty well as molds for
these recipes.
Make Your Own Pudding Pops
1 small pkg. instant pudding mix–any flavor
1 3/4 cup lowfat milk
Mix as directed on package. Once again, pour into molds and add sticks. Freeze.
These ideas should help feed those hungry kids on those warm spring and summer days!
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Is it any mistake that “STRESSED” is “DESSERTS” spelled backward?
Cyndi Roberts is the editor of “1 Frugal Friend 2 Another” bi-weekly newsletter, bringing you creative, practical tips to help you with budgeting, cooking, shopping, parenting and much more as you strive to “live the Good Life… on a budget”.
Freezer Cooking – What is THAT all about?
Freezer Cooking, also referred to as Once A Month Cooking, is a way to cook less often, but still enjoy the health benefits of a home-cooked meal, and save money. Some moms take one full day each month and cook a month’s worth of food. Others, like me, do batch cooking and quadruple many of my recipes. For instance, if I am making a batch of chili, I usually make a big stockpot and freeze the bulk of it for quick, healthy, inexpensive meals. This is a great way for all Work at Home Moms to save time and money — while feeding your family healthy foods!
Meals that freeze well:
* Eggplant Parmesan
* Chicken in Marinade (Buy a large amount of chicken, divide it into freezer bags with the marinade of your choice, and freeze. When you take the chicken out of the freezer to thaw for your meal, it will marinade as it thaws.)
* Soups in Broth (Test potatoes, rice, pasta, and other starchy items before you commit to a large batch. They can fall apart or get rubbery.) Also, beware of cream-based soups. They are wonderful for freezer cooking, but do NOT add the milk/cream before you freeze it. Any dairy must be added once the soup is thawed and warming — right before it is eaten!
* Lasagna — it is so easy to make several pans of lasagna and freeze them all. You don’t even have to cook the noodles in advance. Just layer noodles, spaghetti sauce, ricotta or cottage cheese, meats and veggies in several layers with lots of your favorite sauce. Cover tightly and bake.
* Beans and Rice
* Chili — Toss a few cans of chicken broth in a crockpot. Drain and rinse several cans of beans — whatever you have on hand. Toss them in with some veggies (peppers, onions, celery, etc.). Boil. Then turn down the heat, cover and cook for an hour. At the last minute, add some chili powder and whatever seasonings you like. Plus, add a few cans of diced tomatoes and green chilis if you like them. Cook a few more minutes and it’s ready to serve or freeze.
o To freeze, scoop into plastic containers.
o To serve, top with green onions, sour cream, cheese, crushed chips, etc. You’ll love it!
* Muffins (If you bake muffins or bread, you can freeze the extras for later.)
* Hawaiian Chicken
Recommended Freezer Cooking Resource:
I highly recommend this resource: “Freezer Cooking Made Simple”
About the Author: Nicole Dean is the owner of ShowMomtheMoney.com — Helping Moms to Make Money and Save Money
Stocking Your Pantry: Meals in Minutes
Do you keep in your pantry items to make a meal in minutes?
Take-out food is so expensive. When you do a little preparing, you can actually fix meals in minutes. While meals in minutes are probably better for you and your family than a burger and fries. The good thing is that you are saving money.
I always keep a bag of precooked fajitas meat in the freezer. Stir fry the meat, onions and bell peppers. Add lettuce and toast to make a fajitas salad. Open a can of fruit for dessert.
The same fajitas meat can make Nachos. Spread tortilla chips with bean dip, add fajita meat and cheese. Microwave until cheese is melted.
Quick fajitas can also be made with the meal. Add chips and hot sauce to make your meal.
Boil noodles and top with the stir fried fajitas meat. Add a jar of gravy and heat until hot. Serve meat over noodles. Add a salad to complete your meal.
Frozen meatballs are another staple I keep in my kitchen. Brown meatballs in a skillet until thawed. Add a can of spaghetti sauce and simmer. Boil spaghetti pasta. Broil under the broiler toast with butter and garlic powder for garlic toast. Add a salad to complete your meal.
Brown meatballs in a skillet. Cook Ramen noodles. Toss meatballs with noodles. Add a salad.
Brown meatballs in the skillet until thawed. Pour in a can of beef gravy. Open a box of macaroni and cheese. Add a salad to your meal.
I always keep a package of the frozen skillet meals in the freezer. These can be made within 15 to 20 minutes. Add a salad and a can of fruit and your meal is complete.
Kids love this dish– take 2 cans of Ravioli. Layer Ravioli, cheese and crushed corn chips. Top with cheese. Microwave until the cheese is melted. Add your salad and your set.
Fix a package of stuffing mix according to directions. Take thick slices of turkey that you can purchase from your deli. Roll stuffing inside turkey to make a roll. Pour a jar of turkey gravy over the top and microwave until warm. Serve with a can of green beans.
All time favorite is soup and grilled cheese sandwiches or soup and a salad is a big hit in the winter time.
A list of “never-outs” would be:
* Precooked frozen fajitas meat
* Salad fixings
* Bean dip or refried beans
* Shredded cheese
* Jar gravy
* Noodles
* Ramen noodles
* Frozen meatballs
* Spaghetti sauce
* Macaroni and cheese mix
* Frozen skillet meals
* Ravioli
* Corn chips
* Stove Top Stuffing mix
* Turkey gravy
Make a list of your “meals in minutes” and tape to the inside of your pantry door. When you are in a hurry, turn to your pantry instead of the phone number to your favorite take out restaurant. Every time you fix a quick and easy meal instead of take-out food, put the money you would have spent into a jar. Tell your family about the money jar. As a family, decide what you are going to do with this money. (I.e., Disney trip, etc.) Fast food is a habit everyone gets into, so make getting out of the habit fun for everyone.
About the Author:
Betty Reed Lynch, owner of My Country Kitchen, a menu planning service for the BUSY person! Visit her web site at: to subscribe to her menu planning service. If you have any questions, feel free to email Betty at betty@mycountrykitchen.com
