Job Loss, Budget and Meal Plan

Last month I lost my baby sitting job.

That means the budget must be trimmed... But exactly what do I trim at this point!?

Internet took the hit. So this is my first blog post from my phone, which is a lot easier than expected!

Today was the first grocery trip for the month. I got everything to fill in this weeks meal plan and a few extra things we'll need later in the month because they're on sale now. The grand total came to: $99.20! I wanted to keep under $100 and I did it! (Special thanks to lady who bought a giant chinchilla rabbit named Lucy from me... Saw her at the store and she gave me a coupon for $10 off if you spent more than $50, kept me under budget!) I have $300.80 left for the month to keep to my $400 budget.

This weeks dinners include: spaghetti, twice baked potatoes, chicken Alfredo, crockpot chicken, curry and rice, BBQ chicken and a "left over night".

Nothing fancy and lots of potatoes for sides... Oven fried is our favorite, but mashed, scalloped, roasted and made into fries potatoes certainly make for a cheap an versital food!

Budgets and Faith

I live on a minimum wage income.

Let that sink in.

I'm raising 6 kids on minimum wage,

but mostly, I'm raising them on faith.

 

Budgeting is essential. Faith is fundamental.

 

My budgeting system may be different than most people, so here is how budgeting is done in our home.

 

I make a list of our monthly expenses and a few "extras", also known as things off the "waiting list."

 

Once I have a list of WHO gets money from me for the month, I have to determine how much.

 

Some things that's easy: rent, bank fees, insurance are fixed amounts. Electric, water and natural gas are variable but I can estimate on past usage. Gas and animal expenses are some what flexible, so I can play with those numbers depending on where I want to go and how much work I want to do.

 

Then I figure out the cost of my extras and sometimes change or eliminate which one or ones will happen for the month.

 

Sometimes I need to play with the numbers a little to make everything happen and stay under my "magic number" (the average of my income over the last 8 months.)

 

The last step is the most important, I pray.

I look over that paper and tell the Lord I need his help.

I don't know where it's all coming from but HE does!

 

I don't stress over the budget, I have faith.

My God who leave me, he'll be there no matter how dark (or red) that budget looks.

 

He frequently rewards that faith.

Most recently it was the expense of sending my two oldest to camp this summer.

$100 is not a lot, but I wasn't sure where I was getting that money.

My "waiting list" is long and some of it has been there for awhile (at this point I should sell my watch instead of buying a battery!)

I signed them up, added it to the budget and PRAYED.

 

A little over a week later, I was told if I wanted to send them to camp that their way was paid.

 

I stepped out in faith, and God stepped up to the plate.

That is how it works.

He doesn't let us step out over a cliff,

he's always watching and guiding us!



The Growing Homestead

Since I have not been keeping this blog updated recently, I think an update on the happenings and plans for the homestead is in order!

 

The front garden is 100% planted and things are growing in nicely. I've been harvesting some spinach and radishes already! Still to come are carrots, kale, potatoes, various kinds of squash, cucumbers and (maybe) watermelon. I need to get another garden bed plowed in the backyard and plant my tomatoes, peas and beans that are all started in the laundry room. We'll also need at least one area dedicated to pumpkins!

 

We're averaging 7 eggs a day from the hens. Only 8 of our girls are laying now, when the younger girls start laying we should be getting a dozen a day easily! Hen count is now 18, one of our older hens was culled due to infection and it's official that Cloud, Alex's leghorn, is a rooster. Since we can't have a rooster due to city ordinance, he's up for sale, if he crows before he's sold then into the freezer he goes!

 

Our two sweet Nigerian dwarf goats are growing well and getting used to us. They've cleared most of the over grown blackberries, I just need to get them working along the back fence. Early next week I'll be picking up our third goat. He won't live here long, just long enough for me to know that both girls are indeed pregnant and then I'll resale him (hopefully at a profit since I'm getting a great deal!) The kids should arrive in late August-early September. Selling those sweet kids is going to be hard but we just can't have a large herd here. I'm looking forward to being able to cut our milk budget and make our butter (yes, this sounds fun to me! And super yummy!)

 

The rabbits are almost overwhelming! I'm slowly building a rabbitry and setting up a more streamlined care system to improve efficiency because clearly we have a good market for rabbits here and need to expand, I've had to take down my "Rabbits for sale" sign after selling out of available kits! We still have all our breeding stock and 3 litters coming up for sale over the next month, 2 litters that may be here by morning and quite a few litters due over the next month. Current count of rabbits is 5 bucks, 16 does and 11 kits.

 

As for other homesteading things: I've got my clothes line up, I found a local place that specializes in dwarf fruit trees (and made my wish list!), we're getting day old ducklings sometime in the next week, found barrels and drew up plans for a rainwater catchment system and picked out a place for my fire pit. Also tried my hand at making paper bricks without a press, giant fail, I don't have the upper body strength for it I guess. I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a press to try of just scrap the whole idea. I'm cutting back my research time for the summer so mostly I'll be focusing on the plans already in place and if I find some of that illusive free time, I'll begin more plans to add to the homestead dream.

May/June grocery updates and goals

My $400 a month food budget goal was not a success for May. End total after today's final milk run was $486.32

 

Clearly, not horrible. But also not under budget!

 

 

One area I'll be working on for June is our bread and biscuits.

I've been buying them *GASP*

Since the bread we buy is $4.99 a loaf that adds up fast!

 

I'll share my bread recipe with you all today at the end.

 

As another step to stay under budget for June I'll be utilizing what is stocked up in the pantry.

This means many meals and snacks using rice, beans and canned pumpkin.

 

I'm also going to try to keep track of a price break down for each meal. Not only so everyone can see it, but for myself. I've never broke my meals down to see which ones cost the most and that would be beneficial knowledge to cut costs. Those more expensive meals can be planned less often and cheaper meals had more often.

 

Our meal plan for the rest of this weeks dinners looks like this:

 

Tuesday: kielbasa, zucchini and pepper stir fry over rice

Wednesday: BBQ chicken, carrots and cauliflower

Thursday: roasted butternut squash and oven fried potatoes

Friday: ranch chicken, yams and green beans

Saturday: Spaghetti and garlic biscuits

Sunday: potato soup

 

and now the recipes!

 

 

Whole wheat bread (2 loaves)

 

2 1/3 cups warm water

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 1/2 tablespoons yeast

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

6ish cups whole wheat flour

 

Combine 2 cups of flour, yeast and salt in mixer.

 

Add water, flaxseeds and butter (you can also add 1/4 cup of honey at this point if you desire.) Combine on low until blended, then on medium for 3 minuets.

 

Slowly add enough of the remaining flour to make a kneadable dough. (AKA not super sticky!)

 

Turn out on to a floured surface and knead for 5 minuets.

 

Place in a bowl and let rise for one hour covered with a wet towel or cloth napkin. (TIP! Spray the bowl with cooking spray before you place the dough in it so it doesn't stick to the bowl!)

 

Punch down and divide into loaves.

 

Let rise covered, in prepared pans for 1-2 hours until doubled in size. (The colder your house is the longer it takes for it to rise, so place it in a warm area to speed things along!)

 

Bake at 350* for 30 minuets. Allow to cool for 15 minuets in the pan before turning out onto cooling rack.

 

You should let it cool completely before cutting it, but I can never wait and it tastes sooooo good when it's still warm with a little butter.

 

 



Lifting Each Other Up

Lifting each other up is important.

Without each other it is easy to crumble and give in to our sin nature.

 

The idea of lifting up another in righteousness can be an overwhelming thought.

 

But it doesn't have to be something huge!

 

As a single mother who doesn't always have a lot of time to talk and get to know other members of the church since I have 3-4 stops before/after service to drop off/collect children. I spend more time trying to get them all collected than I spend talking to anyone most of the time.

 

It's easy when we get sick to feel as though the only people who will notice we're gone are the ladies in the nursery. The longer we're sick, the worse that feeling gets. The more discouraging it is.

 

We were just sick for almost 3 weeks.

Every visit and phone call and facebook comment I received was important.

They mattered.

They reminded me that I matter.

 

The smiles and "welcome back" comments mattered!

 

Lifting each other up can be the simple act of telling someone you missed them at service on Sunday.

A text asking if they're feeling better.

 A call to say you were thinking of them.

A casserole just because you can.

 

Any act of kindness will lift someone up!

 

Do one nice thing everyday and it will not only change your outlook but the world around you.



Just Listen

Sometimes we need to sit back, put our worldly concerns on hold and just listen to the voice of the Lord...

 

Listening is hard.

Listening and acting on what we hear is harder.

Listening and not acting, will end up the hardest of them all.

 

I'm a far cry from good at listening to the Lord 24/7.

I still listen to my fears more then my Father.

I pray daily for Him to keep talking to me, keep urging me... even when I'm not listening.

 

Sometimes He'll direct our life in a new way or further us on the path we're on.

Sometimes He'll urge us to bless another family, occasionally in ways we never would have thought of.

Sometimes He'll place in our heart a need to reach out to someone emotionally or spiritually.

 

We may feel unqualified to fulfill the opening to be His hands and feet that He is presenting to us.

But He never asks us to be qualified!

He will give us all we need in resources, strength, wisdom and courage to follow what He lays on our heart!

 

When that little voice in your head pipes up and says to do something, take a deep breath, pray and starting acting on those words. Those are the words of the Lord speaking to your heart!

 

Grocery challenge update: My last grocery trip came to $87.09, leaving me with $120.76!

 

Homestead updates: Miss Penny had our third litter of kits, 7 strong healthy babies! And Duchess is due tonight but hasn't pulled fur, so might be another day.

I bought out a local breeder and sold off most of the breeding stock I wasn't interested in keeping.

I've almost finished the goat pen and have found a couple farmers who will stud out their goats when I'm ready to breed the girls in July.

The hens are giving us about 6 eggs a day! We didn't buy any eggs this month, sold a few and gave some to friend after she saved 2 baby bunnies who escaped their cage!

The front garden bed is completely planted and once the goats are penned I'll need to put in a bed in the back because I am not done planting!

Slowing Down

I have been a woman of many hats in the last year.

I have balanced more roles than I care to list. I've taken on more projects than I can count. Ignored my own mind telling me no. Generally pushed myself beyond any imaginable limits.

I thought I had it all under control with God backing me.

Except that with so many roles to balance... well, there hasn't been any balance. Things have started slipping. Some of those "hats" have slipped to block my vision of my goal in this life. Others have been time consuming. Some have gotten lost in the balancing act.

That last group hits my heart.

What have I lost? I've lost my focus. My time in the bible. My excited, adventurous school time with the kids. My patience. Myself.

I started adding all these things to who I am. To who God created me to be. All because I felt I needed to since I was a single mother.

Here I am a year later. In some ways better off and in others much worse off. Feeling completely empty and drained.

I need to refocus.

I need to slow down.

At least as slow as things can get with 6 kids and a small farm!

I'm reconstructing my company to focus on the homestead. I'm taking a step back from more time consuming projects in favor of more time with my kids.

Mostly, I'm getting back into my bible. I'm ashamed to say that last Wednesday I put my bible in my church bag for service and it didn't leave the bag until I sat down in the pew this week. For an entire week, I did not read my bible!



I'm also taking a slower approach to reading the bible. I'm no longer trying to get through the bible in a year. I'm always so focused on if I'm caught up or behind, that I'm not getting much from it. Instead, I am setting the goal of 20 minuets in the bible alone in the morning, afternoon bible time with the kids reading from the illustrated children's bible and asking questions, doing versus and then taking an hour to hour and a half to myself after the kids are in bed to study the bible.

If I make it through a large amount of reading in a day, great!
If I make it through a small section that I can't stop reading and taking notes on and the Lord is really opening my heart to, EVEN BETTER!
All that matters is that I'm refocusing on what matters. The Lord.