yesterday marked the last day of our may spending freeze & today i thought i’d share a little recap of our experience in saying no to most purchases, regulating needs versus wants & finding contentment in what we already have.
before the month started, i shared what the spending freeze looked like for our family & part way through the month, i shared an update.
overall, the spending freeze was a huge success.
we cut way back & saved over $1k toward unexpected expenses & debt accrued from earlier in the year. our regular monthly budget is not extravagant (we don’t have cable & we rarely eat out), but we realized that even the slightest spending toward a red box movie & to-go coffee really adds up.
we maximized the use of what we already owned, parted ways with excess & felt the slightly uncomfortable pull to say no to those extra purchases.
surprisingly, i also saved a lot of time not spending money. instead of purchasing things i thought we needed, i spent my time cleaning out our closets & organizing our spaces to accommodate our lighter living.
i did mess up a few times.
i purchased a few pieces of clothing for our upcoming europe trip & my summer capsule wardrobe. we also spent a few bucks over our date night budget celebrating a friend’s birthday.
despite a few hang ups along the way, we learned a lot about our spending habits:
– like i said before, i gained a lot more time not spending money. i used that extra time to organize, purge, enjoy hobbies (reading, practicing calligraphy) & simply rest.
– gifts are a necessity to our budget. i am a giver by nature & love gifting even the simplest of gifts to friends & family. the void of that extra $30 each month to spend on others really left me feeling down. that giving category is no longer a non-negotiable in our budget; it’s a necessity.
– date nights are key to our marriage sanity. although we kept our date night budget & just trimmed it back slightly, we really wished we had kept the $60 instead of $40 for the month. date nights are a way for us to connect outside of the home & celebrate over good food. every date night is sacred & a necessity to the health of our marriage.
– the garden is an amazing way to cut down on the grocery budget. we spent far less this month than during the winter months eating fresh salads & vegetables from the garden. we love harvesting baskets full garden goodies & it’s a great way for us to connect after a long day.
– we will do this again. it was an effective way for us to get back on track financially & a fun experiment for our family.
i’d love for you to share what you learned during your spending freeze!
love,
natalie
i’ve tried denying it for quite some time, but let’s face the truth.
i’m not crazy about cooking dinner.
when dinner time rolls around, i oftentimes feel exhausted & irritated. i am a morning person afterall! i used to hold myself to so many expectations for dinner. needless to say, i’ve trashed some of those expectations over the years & found my rhythm in the kitchen.
today i thought i’d share some tips i implement into my daily routine for making dinner prep much easier!
1. MEAL PLAN: here’s my thorough blog post on meal planning & oh boy, does it make the week easier! i buy exactly what i need from the grocery store once a week & plan what we will eat around our weekly schedule.
2. TAKE NOTES: when meal planning, i take notes on what needs to be done the day before or morning before that evening’s supper. i check the meal plan that evening & thaw my meats, cut vegetables or prepare the crockpot for tomorrow’s dinner.
3. CROCKPOT MEALS: crockpot meals are your friend. we have 1-2 crockpot meals per week & they make eating dinner at home possible during those busy evenings.
4. CANNED GOODS: i often opt for the fresh option, but i stand strong in purchasing canned beans. i used to soak & crockpot our beans, but i’ve since started purchasing pre-cooked canned beans. they’re affordable & so much easier.
5. LIST OF EASY MEALS: use an evening this week to jot down a list of easy meals. on those nights when you have very little time to cook, prepare an easy meal! one of my favorite is nacho night. i throw out tortilla chips, a handful of toppings & melt with shredded chips! so easy & delicious!
6. RICE COOKER: my family gifted me a rice cooker for christmas & i use this kitchen tool all of the time. it cooks our rice perfectly & has the option of delaying cooking time so that our rice is warm right when we’re sitting down to eat.
7. PREP RAW INGREDIENTS IN BULK: when harvesting salad from the garden, we always harvest enough for the week. it makes washing, chopping & preparing much easier than doing this task every single night. this can also be done for supermarket purchased goods. prep your fresh ingredients once a week for the entire week to make meal prep easier.
8. SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY: sharing the responsibility of cooking & cleaning is key. when i cook, my husband always washes the dishes. it lifts the weight of cooking at home tremendously & i feel incredibly supported by his willingness to contribute to our home life.
what are some of your tips for making dinner prep easy peasy?
love,
natalie
over memorial day weekend, we took a trip to our friends’ farm for an afternoon of berry picking!
throughout the spring & summer months, we always try to set aside time to pick our two favorites -strawberries & blueberries. we love supporting our fellow farmers’ u-pick farms because we know they can grow berries much better than we could given our available space.
to find a u-pick farm, ask around or visit your local farmers’ market & ask the vendors. (i find that the websites listing u-pick farms are often outdated & unhelpful).
i use our strawberries in a variety of ways. i typically freeze large freezer bags full of berries for smoothies, pies & more. i also like making berry simple syrups & canning jam for gifts!
when we arrived home from our berry picking afternoon, i got right to work canning 20 pounds of strawberries!
today i thought i’d share my strawberry jam recipe for you!
homemade strawberry jam recipe
(one batch makes about 6 quart size jars)
ingredients:
8 cups strawberries, tops cut off
1 box sure-jell fruit pectin
7 cups sugar
1. prepare your jars as usual. here’s a great resource for basic canning/preparing jars.
2. measure strawberries & add to large stockpot. crush strawberries thoroughly.
3. add pectin to fruit in stockpot & mix until well combined. bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that continues even when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
4. add sugar to fruit mixture & stir until sugar is fully dissolved. return to a full rolling boil & boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
5. remove pot from heat & skim off foam with a large spoon.
6. ladle prepared jam into prepared jars immediately, filling to 1/4 inch from top of jar. wipe rim & screw lid on tightly. place in canner & cover in water.
7. process as usual. (i process my jam for 15 minutes).
8. enjoy for up to one year!
what are some of your favorite recipes for farm fresh strawberries?
love,
natalie