The Most Asked Question!

I get lot's of email questions and I try to get back to as many as I can in between all the other responsibilities I have. If you've asked me one and don't get a response right away I'm just bogged down, but keep trying! Probably the most frequently asked question I get is "What do you do about lunches?" So if you're curious, here's a link to the answer. If that didn't answer your question you can always check under the FAQ's link in my left lower sidebar. Hope that helps!

Reader Question!

I came across your blog on the web and it is an interesting concept. It has been hard for me to feed a family of 4 on one income. I tried to go over my weekly shopping list several times but can’t get it below $80. My question is how do you have dinners when there is only the one meat purchase? And how do you make it through the week without the household items (toothpaste, lotion, soap, dish detergent etc.)?

Thanks for all your posts and for helping all the frugal moms!

God Bless

Janice

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Hi Janice,

We eat lots of meatless meals. Like this week, we are only having meat in our spaghetti, a quiche with a bit of sausage in it and I used some leftover chicken to make taco soup. I make my menus up from what I already have on hand. That way I spend less each week and I'm not needing to purchase EVERY item in EACH recipe. I just purchase a few items to finish the recipe off.

Household items have their own budget now. I try and slip them into my grocery budget when I can, but I've set aside some money each week to cover those items. We use dollar store brands for most things that you listed.

Remember that $60 is the number we picked because, at the time, that's all we had. Everyone's lowest number may be different. If you're still wanting to get your budget lower here are a few things to look at.

Are you cooking from scratch?

Is there anything in your grocery bags with a brand name on them? (snapple, tide, kraft, ragu) Can you make it yourself or buy it in generic form?

Are you throwing away leftovers? Sometimes one meal can stretch to two. That saves cooking time as well as the dollars to buy more ingredients.

Do you have a menu plan each week? If you have a plan you know exactly what you need to buy.

How many times are you going to the grocery store each week? You'll save money if you shop once.

I hope those ideas help!
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If you're new to the blog I wrote several posts a few years back on just EXACTLY how I do it. You might want to check them out.

The Plan

The Shopping Trip

The Weekly Prep

Reader Question!

Mandy wrote in with this question....

Your frugal tips and tricks have saved me a lot of money in the past and I am hoping that you can save me once again. We recently found out that our 17 month old daughter has a gluten intolerance and we are all having to go gluten free now. Right now, this is nearly doubling my food budget and I was wondering if you or any of your money saving readers had any advice for me. Relearning how to buy and cook food is difficult enough, but trying to do it all frugally is proving to be an even bigger challenge.

Since we don't have any dietary restrictions at this point I'm wondering if any of you Gluten Free'ers out there have some advice to offer? Please enter your wisdom in the comments and let's see if we can help Mandy out. Thanks guys!!!

A Reader Question...

I got this in my inbox and thought I'd address it.

What are the portion sizes per person? Your apples & bananas allow 1 piece of fruit per person for 2 days only! If you have 4 kids and a man--do you not feel you are starving them? and not allowing for proper nutrition? --I know you won't post this--but your pics are pathetic! That's enough food for maximum 3 days if you're all to be healthily nurished. Can't you up the weekly shop by $20 or $40 more a week? That's called being a bad mom!!

If you haven't followed my blog for long or read any of the back story then I can see how you'd have these questions. For those of you who are new or haven't been with me for the past few years, here's a refresher course.

• What you see me buy each week supplements what we already have. This isn't one whole weeks worth of food for each menu. I use what's on hand and build my menu around that so that I don't have to buy every single ingredient in a recipe. We garden, I have home canned and frozen produce in my cupboards, and we make lots of things from scratch. We all have plenty to eat. If you know us in real life, you'll see we are all healthy, spend very little time in a doctors office and are at a good weight. A few of us (ahem) could stand to lose a few pounds.
  
• When we started this budget, we didn't have a choice as to how much we had to spend. $60 was ALL WE HAD. I wasn't trying to challenge myself on a whim or get publicity. I was trying to survive after a huge financial change. It was scary and overwhelming but the point of this blog is that if needs be, it CAN be done.
• Our portion sizes are Eat Till You're Full. We have lots of people at our house. Recipes are doubled around here more often than not. I don't cut kids off. We always have leftovers.
• Our weekly shop started at $50 a week and we stayed that way for several months. When we could afford it, we upped our shop to $60 a week and set a separate budget for cosmetics. (It was included in the grocery budget before that time). I'm sure that with time, our budget will increase again.
  

I don't normally post rude emails but it just got under my skin that some anonymous stranger was accusing me of starving my children and being a bad mother. I mean, really? Don't you have anything better to do? And for those of you who are struggling to feed your family on a tight budget, be encouraged. You can do it!

Reader Question...Do You Know The Answer?

Hi Gayle,

Keep up the great work with the blog! I love that reader tip regarding calculating whether toilet paper is a good price based on the price per square foot. I wonder if anyone knows what a good price is for rolls of paper towel or garbage bags. I never know if I'm getting a good deal!

Jeannette

Anyone have some great tips on this subject? I haven't bought paper towels for years so I don't have a clue on that one. Any takers?

Financial Planning For Our Kids College Education

A reader asked....

How are you planning financially for college for your kids?

Oooh, that's a good one. This one involves a practical response as well as the unveiling of some beliefs I hold. I'll start with practical because that's easier.

First, I'm a firm believer in kids learning the value of setting a goal and figuring out how to accomplish it. As much as I love my children, I know from my own experience that I value things a whole lot more when they haven't been handed to me but when I've had to put my own drive, passion and efforts into getting them. For example, the car I was given at the age of 16 and killed out of carelessness because I had no invested interest in it. Compare that experience with the one where I had to take out a loan and hold down a job to make payments. That car, I treated like a baby.

Or with my 14 year old son who wanted a dog and decided to get a job, earn the money and do the research. He doesn't even complain about scooping poop. The dog we handed to him for Christmas when he was 10? Nobody claimed ownership or responsibility for that dog. She lasted 18 agonizing months before we found a new home for her and finally got the yard cleaned of all that poop.

So the thought of just handing my kids $50k or more for their college education? Do I really think they are going to respect that education as much as the one they work hard for and are determined to get? I'd be robbing them of a whole passel of life lessons. So no, we don't feel that we need to provide for their college education.

We do have a savings account for each kid though. We haven't decided what we'll use it for or when they'll get it. I think for each kid it will be different and we'll know when the right circumstances are presenting themselves for us to unveil it.

And this is how it works. Every time the kids earn some money or get a monetary gift they are given the choice to save part or all of it. Whatever dollar amount they choose to save, we match. So if they choose to save $20, we match the $2o for a total of $40 going into their accounts. Then we explain how Dad invests it for them and in 10 years their $40 turns into $400 dollars. Pretty good incentive for saving. They are a part of the process of tracking the growth of their investment as well, so they can see what is happening with their money and learn the concept of investments.

Now, for the college education thing. I'm a questioner. I don't do something just because everyone else does. I don't believe that public education is the best place for my kids just because that's the normal thing to do. I don't believe that college is necessary just because everyone says it is. And I'm not placing that expectation on my kids either. (Notice I am applying this to my kids, not yours. This is what we believe in our family and I'm not saying that your beliefs are wrong if they differ from mine.) What I do believe is finding my children's passions and learning to turn that into something that they can use to support themselves. I want to fan that flame and help it to grow into something they will want to do the rest of their lives. I don't want them to work a monotonous job that they hate for all their lives just because they need to pay the bills. Life is too short to be trapped like that. And money isn't near as important as a full life and a healthy family.

My job is to help them dip their toe into every area of interest, see if it's something they have a talent and passion for, and then feed and nurture it.

Now if my children's passions lead them to a career where a college education is a must than I'm fully supportive of that goal. But if a trade school, apprenticeship, or just plain hard work and motivation is what's needed, then I'll support that too.

And that's our financial plan for our kids education.

Where's Dog Food Fit In?

Beth writes...

I see dog raw hides, how does dog food fit in? I never see it in your weekly booty.

And there's a story behind that.

My teenage son wanted a dog but we really didn't think we could afford it right now. So he came up with this great plan, complete with a written contract, budget, and income statement, that showed how he would get a job and earn the money to pay for the dog. He assured us that he would take full responsibility for all food, vet bills, training and poop-scooping (my husbands desire) and all vacuuming of dog hair (mine). He outlined the cost of adoption, vet bills, food and toys and we said to ourselves, "Yeah, well if he can actually come up with that kind of money THEN we'll let him get a dog. " (Insert evil laughter here.) I was sure my carpets would remain dog-hair free.

But that boy of mine went knocking on neighbors doors and racked up two weekly lawn mowing jobs. Then he called grandparents and spread bark dust, mowed, weeded and did all sorts of manual labor. And in a matter of two months the kid raised $500 dollars.

We, uh, adopted a dog at that point.

So....all that to say....we don't buy the dog food. My hard working son paid the adoption fee, paid the vet bills, buys premium dog food (to avoid any vet visits) and yes, even scoops the poop.

My penance is buying treats for the dog to make me feel better for my unbelief.

Diapers In A Budget

Carrie writes:

Gayle,I love your blog. Thank you for taking the time to write every week. I just wanted to know if you think a $60 budget is reasonable for a family of 6 when 2 children are in diapers? I don't know if I should add this in the $60 or keep it separate. Also, do you get up at the crack of dawn to cook breakfast in the morning? What does your schedule look like before the kids go to school. Thanks Gayle!

There is just no stinkin' way I could fit diapers into a $60 for 6 people budget. So take a deep breath and be released from even thinking that is possible. (Well, maybe someone else could do it but I wouldn't be able to.) If I still had kids in diapers I would definitely be a diaper coupon clipper. I wouldn't count the diapers into my food/household budget but I would institute some saving strategies in that area.

First, I always bought generic diapers when I was still using them. I like the generic and they worked just fine for me. Same with the wipes. There's no excuse for using name brand diapers because it's totally a preference thing. Not a need. If you can afford them with no problems then by all means, waste your money. And I've experienced every thing a kid could put in a diaper X 4! So I know what I'm talking about.

Second, I never wasted a diaper. My kids diapers only got changed when absolutely necessary. It was fully used and I very seldom had kids with diaper rashes. I never let them sit for hours in their yuck but I sure didn't change it every time I checked it for wetness.

And third, knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't even buy disposables unless the kids were in daycare or visiting grandparents. I would buy the supplies to use cloth diapers and after the initial expense, the only extra cost would be laundry expenses and the occasional replacement. And the homemade laundry soap recipe works great on cloth diapers.

As to the breakfast and schedule question, one of the perks of homeschooling is that we don't have to rush off in the mornings. I usually get up around 6:30 or 7 and get ready for the day. On a normal day we eat breakfast around 8AM and then work on school projects and book work until lunchtime. After lunch is chores and some down time and the evenings are full of sports, friends or fun.

Thanks for asking Carrie.

Frugal Recreation and Gas Use

Dana asks....

Where we have the most trouble is of course our fuel costs for our work commute now and entertainment. There isn't much to do about fuel other than try to scout out your best prices but do you have ideas that work well with your family for entertainment that is frugal and fun?

Gasoline costs are a huge concern for us too. We use gasbuddy.com to find the cheapest gas prices in town for fueling up. We don't commute since we work and school at home, and we try and run all errands in one trip as often as possible. Our gas budget is $20 in our economic Volvo and $20 in our gas guzzling family Suburban per week. Unless we're all together or both need a car at the same time, we try and drive the Volvo as often as possible. And there have been several times where we had to say no to something because gas was low and had to be saved for something more important.

Gas costs are also figured in when we are looking for something to do as a family. And with a family of our size we have to make sure that our recreational activities don't cost an arm and a leg.

• We live close enough to the ocean that a day trip to the beach is a fun thing to do. We pack a picnic lunch and then our only cost is gas and all the sandy laundry we bring back.


• We also make use of our local YMCA. For a family day pass we can swim, workout, play basketball, or hit the racquetball courts.


• Local playgrounds are places we visit for free. It's amazing how much fun different playground equipment can be.


• A few times a year we go to a movie as a family. This is a spendier event so to keep costs low we smuggle in our own snacks and hit the matinee to save a few extra dollars.


• We find local hiking trails and head out into the woods with a picnic.


• We rent movies for free from the library and have movie nights with homemade snacks. (We're watching The Waltons right now.) We also have a netflix subscription and sometimes use the free codes at redbox.


• We also hit local aquatic parks on their bargain family pass days. The parks around here have huge slides and pools with waves and sprayers. Lots of fun!


• We keep our eye out for free community events and celebrations. We've attended Native American pow-wows, Scottish festivals, Earth Day events, county fairs, holiday parades, free outdoor concerts, kids fishing events at the beginning of fishing season, local sporting events and all sorts of other fun things. We don't pass up FREE very often.


• We also enjoy zoos, aquariums, and museums. This is also a spendier event so we get in on bargain days with a family pass when we can.

Fun can be had for cheap if you just look in the right places.

Low Cost Proteins And Other Stuff

Lori writes....

I have followed your blog for about a year and I think you are amazing!!

Questions:

What about buying proteins for low/no carb diets? Any good ideas for where to buy cheap but good quality meats?

I've never tried the low/no carb diets so I'm not even sure how that works. But I do keep an eye out for cheap proteins for my family. Remember, proteins aren't just meat. Proteins can be beans, meats, dairy, nuts and seeds. When I'm shopping for meat-protein, I find out from the store when they mark their meat down. One of my local stores has $1 and $2 off on meats every Monday. Another local store marks amazing cuts of meat down around 5pm, when people are getting off work and trying to find something quick to fix for dinner. Ask your meat department if AND when they mark down their meats. I usually buy what I can afford and stick it in my freezer.

How often do you entertain and for how many guests?

This varies a lot. We have time where it's every week that we have guests and then other times it's about once a month. We attend lots of potlucks and I'm part of a ministry that takes meals to new mothers or people recuperating from surgery so food for others is always happening around here. Usually when we have guests it's 4-6 extra people but I have hosted for 30 before.

What about brown bag lunches? And convenience foods?

Our life is so home-centered that we don't regularly need brown bag lunches since we homeschool and work from home. But, during soccer season, on those long Saturdays full of multiple games, we pack things like homemade burritos, sandwiches, fruit, veggies and dip, giant pickles....simple things. We don't buy much convenience foods because they are just a waste of money and really not good for you. But sometimes I can find mac & cheese 3/$1 or hot dogs 2/$1 and I'll grab them up for a treat. We're health conscious but not legalistic about it.

These seem to be where I blow my budget. I think I do pretty good but I know I can do better.

I have wondered what it is you and your husband do for a living and if you are one of the Dave Ramsey followers? I like Dave Ramsey, so I don't intend to offend if you are a follower.

Yesterday's post answered what my husband does for a living. We're pretty committed that I stay at home and raise the kids so we've been willing to sacrifice for that over the years. I do some freelance writing when I have the time and I get paid a bit for that. But we don't rely on anything that I bring in for paying living expenses. It's usually for something fun like a day at the beach or a meal at McDonald's.

We aren't Dave Ramsey followers although we believe he's pretty sound, has a great plan in place and we've read some of his material. I'd recommend his stuff. But I'm more of a Chris Bryant follower. That's my husband, who's a financial advisor. ; ) He's pretty smart about money matters and he's done a good job taking care of our finances. We do believe in being debt free and living within the limits of the income we make. If we can't pay cash for something, we just do without until we can.

I also wonder if this is a long term commitment you have or if there is an end date attached to this budget.

This wasn't planned and my long term commitment is to stay frugal. This crazy budget came around because we started our own business and knew that until it took off, we were going to have to be really creative. When we made our new self-employed budget, after paying the bills, we only had $60 left for groceries. So we bucked up and made it work. I'd be perfectly happy with an $80 or $100 budget per week for the six of us. I'd buy more meat.

I have to say KUDOs on your laundry soap, I made it and love it. Not to mention all the other recipes you have for make your own.

Thank you for your commitment to serving the public with great money saving ideas. We need more people like you.

Remember Those Questions?

Remember a week or two ago when I opened up for questions? Well, I've answered some of them privately and I'm starting to tackle the public ones.

Christi writes:

I am interested in your religion.

I read both of your blogs and you do not quote the bible.

But, your kids have all biblical names so you must be somewhat religious. I am curious about how much of your life revolves around your church and the bible.

I also wonder what your husband does for a living because he works from home.

To start with the easier question, my husband is an independent financial advisor. Which means he works for himself, governed by the state, and counsels people on financial strategies whether that's investments, trusts, estate planning, college fund planning or financial management. He works from his home office and meets clients in their homes. Therefore he is home a lot. Which is so great for our family life.

The second part of your question is a little more complicated. I'm a Christian of no specific denomination and Jesus is personal to me. He's not a religious icon or a historical story, he's a friend and I try to live my life according to the Bible. We are very involved in church activities and yes, I intentionally don't quote the Bible on this blog. And here's why.

This subject of this blog is universal....saving money. And while I do feel that my success at what I do with our groceries is definitely a provision from God, I also want it to appeal to everyone no matter what religion or belief system they have. I'd hate to have someone click away because they see a Bible verse and just aren't at a place where that speaks to them yet. I've been to Bible quoting blogs and while there are many out there that come across sincere, the rest sound fake and preachy and paint a picture of perfection that just isn't real. It turns me off and I'm guessing anyone who isn't a Christian clicks right over the top of them and moves on. I avoid religious language in real life and on this blog too. I don't use pretty Bible words when I pray. When I talk to someone about Him I talk in regular English not flowery talk that would make no sense to someone who doesn't know church-talk, and I want my life to be realistic. I struggle, it's hard, my marriage isn't perfect, my kids aren't always good, I get cranky, I lose my temper, I get discouraged, I sometimes feel hopeless but I've also got a place that I go to for strength and counsel and peace and that's Jesus. So the lack of Bible quotes is intentional and works for me. The behind the scenes e-mails and talks that go on simply because people see something different about the way I live my life is so much more effective at providing opportunities to share my faith than preaching to people that don't want to hear it.

And it's a little bit scary to hang it out there like that but there you go.

More questions and answers coming soon!

The Gift Giving Question

One of the questions you all asked was "What do you do about gifts?" And it just so happens that my daughter had a birthday to attend this weekend so I managed to take some pictures of a typical gift.

Usually when we give birthday presents outside of our own four kids we set a budget of $10 - $20 per gift, depending on how elastic our budget is for that week. This week it was $10.

Throughout the year I store up gift wrapping supplies. I have a drawer full of ribbon that I've salvaged from gifts I've received as well as garage sales and thrift stores.

I also collect tins and pretty containers or unique boxes. And under my bed I have two boxes that store gift bags of all sizes and shapes, tissue paper, bows and curling ribbon from gifts I've received.

Today's gift was for my daughters friend who is turning 13. (Vangie if your reading this just look away, girl!) Lately she's into nail polish so we picked four colors that we though she'd like, a bottle of remover, a cute little container of cotton remover pads, a chocolate bar and her favorite candy...sour patch kids.

I used a cute little green pail that someone had given to me, added some brown tissue paper because Camouflage is one of her favorite patterns, and put the gifts inside. We finished it off with a green ribbon and Ta Da!

An adorable birthday gift for $10.

Aww Shucks

I totally didn't send out that last post so you could all just build me up, but gosh, that's what happened and you all rock. You made me feel good.

To be honest, my rut stems from the fact that my dad is sick. The last few weeks have been a dizzying time of changes and hard choices and a future that looks way different than I was ready for. Which means my time in the kitchen has been survival mode. "Cook what's on the menu and then get out." No creativity, no extra baking, and a lot of "Here's the recipe kids. Do your best and I'll be home later."

But your questions were fun and are getting my mind swirling again. I needed the jump start as I start to settle back into a routine again.

So over the next few days (weeks maybe?) I'll try and tackle your questions. And you had some really good ones. You gave me great ideas on future articles, some input on stuff that I had no idea you'd want to know about but I'm happy to oblige, and an opportunity to get a little more personal which is scary since I have so many readers and don't really know who is lurking out there in the shadows, but I really want to go there.

SO....stay tuned. This could be interesting.

Ask Away!

Sometimes I get in a rut. The frugal lifestyle is becoming so normal to me that my radar on what might be interesting to YOU can git a little wonky sometimes. So here's where I'm thinking you could just tell me.

• Have you read my blog and ever wondered about something?


• Have you ever found yourself spending too much money in a certain situation and thought, "What would Gayle do?"


• Are you curious about how we spend money in other areas?


• Or are you just curious about my personal life...you know...the one not attached to this blog?

Then leave a comment or send me an email (gaylebryant6@hotmail.com) and I'll answer your questions.

Oh, and I have a new article up about the actual process of shopping at The Daily News. You can go HERE to read it.

Any Tips For This Reader?

I got this in my e-mail this evening and thought I'd send it out to see if anyone can help.

Hi Gayle,

My family and I live in SW Washington, where I shop exclusively at WinCo. I know from your blog that you shop there too, as the other major grocery chains are TOO expensive. We are to be moving to Wenatchee in the next several months and I found out that there is not a WinCo there. I was wondering if you know or could ask your readers if they know what the cheapest stores are for groceries in that part of the state? I have never been an ad watcher/coupon clipper as WinCo doesn't advertise and they don't take home printed coupons. I guess I will go that route if I have to, however I am dreading that if that is my only option to keep my grocery costs down. Thanks for any help you could offer.

Jackie

So is anyone familiar with that area and have some tips for Jackie?

An Ice Bath Sounds Pretty Good Right Now

So....I've kind of thrown my menu plan out the window this week. It's been so freakishly hot that we've been hiding in my basement and the thought of coming upstairs and turning anything on that makes heat, makes me gag. In fact, sitting here with my laptop burning a hole through my bare legs is creating even more sweat. My only solace is the cold shower I'm going to take before getting into bed tonight and the fact that in the recesses of my freezer I found a box of frozen ho-ho's.

God is so very very good!

One dinner this week was cold cottage cheese, cold veggies and dip, and frozen blueberries with cold vanilla yogurt.

Notice the theme here?

Tonight....cold hard boiled eggs, more cold veggies and yogurt with fruit.

So what do you feed your family when it's too hot to cook?

Cleaning Cloth Diapers With Homemade Laundry Soap

One of many frugal regrets I have is that I wasn't savvy enough to use cloth diapers. I still was a newby at frugality when my first was a baby, over 13 years ago, and the gross factor had much more power over me than it does now.

So when Colleen sent me an email asking about using my Homemade Laundry Soap to clean cloth diapers, I drew a blank. Here's her e-mail...

Hi Gayle,

I have been using your homemade laundry detergent for a little over a year now w/o any trouble. So, I want to first thank you and then ask if any of your readers have said that they safely wash cloth diapers w/ the homemade detergent. I am concerned b/c some sites warn against using borax claiming that is is abrasive. I already wash my baby's clothes w/ the homemade detergent, but wanted to play it safe with the diapers since they come into such close contact w/ a delicate area. :)

Thanks, for your time and all of the great ideas that you put out there for all of us!

Sincerely,
Colleen

Does anyone have an answer to Colleen's question?

It's Your Turn To Shine

Normally, on the weekends, I like to share links to articles that interest me and I think might interest you. But this week I didn't have any spare time to cruise the internet.

So how about this...

• Have YOU written an article that could help someone on their frugal journey? A tip? Some frugal inspiration? Some fresh frugal perspective?
• Have you read something somewhere else on the Internet that inspired you to greater thriftiness or was a yummy recipe?

Then e-mail me the link (gaylebryant6@hotmail.com) and I'll go through them and pick five to highlight over the weekend. I'll put up the links on Saturday so you have this evening to send me your links. (oh, the pressure). And the five winners will get an all expense paid trip to.....well, how about just a whole lotta blog traffic?

I'm going to close comments on this so it's not a free-for-all of links and I can keep it somewhat organized. And if this turns out to be a fun thing, then maybe we'll keep it up.

Last Call....Only A Few Spots Left

Saturday, June 20th, I'll be teaching a Grocery Cart Challenge Class and I have just a few spots left. If you'd like to come and hang out with me for a few hours, all while making your own cleaning supplies, sampling some frugal meals, learning how to menu plan and shop for less, and asking all the questions you every wanted to ask me, well than call this number (360-442-5400) or go HERE to enroll online. I can't wait to meet all of you that have signed up already. We're going to have fun!

Summer Workshop Registration Open!

If you're a local and interested in attending my Summer Workshop on lowering your household budget, registration starts TODAY! I'm only offering the class to 12 people at a time so I can actually have conversations and interact with everyone instead of just lecturing. I think we're going to have lots of fun, laughs, and good food. So if you're interested call now to get in before it fills up!

Here's the link.