8 Easy Ways to Cut Your Grocery Budget

I don't profess to be a financial wizard by any means. I'm too lazy to do extreme couponing, and planning my grocery list is something I always kind of dread, which is why my husband and I now do it together so it seems like a fun game we're playing instead of a chore that I have to do every week. However, we've gotten pretty good at the budgeting thing over the past year, and groceries are a huge area where we have found we can spend a lot less than we think we can. Here are a few things that have worked for us, and I'd love to hear what works for you!

1. Don't go to the grocery store more than once a week. Every time I go to the grocery store to buy a gallon of milk, I come out with $50 worth of stuff. 90% of the time, whatever I need can wait until my weekly shopping day.
2. Eat more produce. I swear the ridiculously cheap price of most fresh produce was a revelation to my husband. After two years of me hearing, "This bag of gummy bears is only $4," now I suddenly hear, "Yeah, get some bananas! They're so cheap!" (He doesn't even like bananas, but I do, and so does our baby, so that's good enough.) Substituting apples and pears for fruit snacks is not only healthier for your body, it's healthier for your wallet. On that note . . .
3. Go vegetarian - at least sometimes. We try to plan at least one meatless meal per week, because it saves us some money and it's good for us to eat vegetables. We've found that we really like egg plant, that cauliflower is excellent Chinese food style, that tostadas are just as satisfying without the meat and you don't have to remember to thaw anything, etc. (Also, we've found that some meals don't need as much meat as the recipe tells you it does. Lasagna is a good example.) 
4. Plan your menu before you go. We have a weekly family planning meeting where we sit down and look at our schedules for the week, and then plan a few meals. Sometimes these get juggled a little, but because we plan it in conjunction with our schedules, we know to fix something quick on a night when my husband works late, so we don't buy a bunch of fancy stuff for a meal we won't get to. We also know that even if we're out of pork chops, if we aren't going to make them this week, they can get pushed to next week's grocery trip, and we can just buy chicken this week. It's much easier to spread out our purchases this way, and we don't have as much food go bad before we can eat it. 
5. Set a realistic but firm budget, and keep a running total as you go. Ice cream is a luxury in our house. If you want ice cream and you realize it doesn't fit in this week's budget, maybe you should put back the 24 pack of soda. (I'm not saying you should never buy treats. But you should buy real food first and then decide how many treats belong in your cart.)
6. Pay in cash. Something about having the grocery money in your pocket makes it easier to put things back if you're about to go over the set budget. 
7. Make a list and stick to it - or make trades. I know, I know. Those chips look SO GOOD. And so do those pita chips. And you really could use some new shampoo just for a change. And doughnuts. You NEED those, right? Wrong. All of those tiny little extra things that only cost a couple of dollars add up more quickly than you can possibly imagine. If you really want something that isn't on the list, figure out what you're going to cut before you add it to the cart. Steak is on sale? Great. Are you going to have that instead of hamburger this week? 
8. Price Match. Oh my goodness guys. Do you know how easy price matching is? We never buy name brand stuff, so some of those deals go out the window for us, but we save a BUNDLE on produce by just having a list of places where it's on sale. At our grocery store, you don't even need to bring an ad - you just tell them where grapes are $0.98 a pound and you're golden. There are millions of websites that collect all of the data you need so you can just go through the list and decide if anything you need is a fabulous deal somewhere. 

You don't have to overhaul your life to make your budget stretch a little further - you just have to be thoughtful about where your money is going. 

Historical Fiction about Girls

I hope you noticed that I said about girls, not for girls. Some of these books will be more universally appealing than others—Number the Stars, The Green Glass Sea, The Book Thief, and The Ruby in the Smoke, especially—but I personally know boys who have appreciated all of them, and the same is true for adults (YA is not just for teens!). Four of them are books I loved as a child, and still love as an adult; the rest are books I read for the first time as an adult, and I enthusiastically recommend them all.

The Hope Chest, by Karen Schwabach

I've been so excited about this book ever since I started it, because it's the only junior or YA fiction I've ever seen that tells the story of the suffrage movement, and from the inside. It's written from the perspective of two young girls, Violet and Myrtle, who run away to join Violet's older sister in fighting for suffrage. Such a thrilling and well-written story (and if the title turns you off, let me tell you that I felt the same way and don't worry—it's much more interesting than it sounds).

Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry

This has been one of my favorite books ever since I can remember. I have always loved fiction about World War II, and it takes place in Denmark, which is an uncommon setting for American children's books. It's a short book, and the action is quick and exciting.

I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith

For me, this entire book was lovely, but I've also heard that it took some people a little while to get hooked, so just make sure you give it a good chance. Fans of Downton Abbey, especially, should appreciate it for the romantic atmosphere; it's set in early-1900s England, narrated by seventeen-year-old Cassandra, who lives with her family in a dilapidated old castle. Her father is a struggling writer, her stepmother communes with nature, and her new neighbors/landlords are rich Americans with two unmarried sons. The recommendation writes itself.

The Green Glass Sea, by Ellen Klages

The premise for this book is fascinating and unique—eleven-year-old Dewey goes to live with her father in Los Alamos, where he is working on the Manhattan Project. I just loved the setting, and the characters and story are likable and engaging. It was really lovely to read about a girl with an aptitude for science.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

I feel like you have to have been living under a rock to have missed at least hearing about this book. It's about a German girl named Liesel, who steals books and lives with a foster family in Munich during World War II. And it's narrated by Death. I think I just told you everything you need to know.

Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman

Karen Cushman is a really fantastic and popular writer of historical fiction, for good reason. This is my favorite of her books, about a girl in thirteenth-century England whose greedy father is trying to marry her off to one of several horrible suitors. She's smart and independent, and I liked her more than enough to overcome my annoyance with the phrase "corpus bones."

Daughter of the Mountains, by Louise Rankin

I've loved this book since about third grade, and I was absolutely giddy when I mentioned it to a sixth-grade boy at the Orem library, spent about three seconds describing it, and he grabbed it saying it sounded interesting. It is! It really is.

Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell

I liked this as a kid, too, but it wasn't until I reread it last year that I learned it was based on a true story. Historically fascinating, and the kind of book that sounds like it should be boring—person stranded alone on an island for several years? What would they do all the time?—but is absolutely not. 

Mara, Daughter of the Nile, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

There are a few books that have been passed around my family, read by my parents, my teenage brothers, and me, and loved by everyone. This was one of the first; it was part of the curriculum when my brothers were homeschooled, and they loved it so much they made everyone else read it, too. 

The Ruby in the Smoke, by Philip Pullman

This book sat on my sister Talia's bookshelf for most of our teen years, and for some reason I formed an unfavorable opinion of it based on the cover, without ever having picked it up. When I did decide to read it one day, I had to laugh at myself, because it is an excellent, really engaging mystery (and I don't even especially care for mysteries). There are three sequels, but unfortunately I thought each one diminished in quality, so if you want my recommendation I would say just stop after the first.

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery

I read this a few years ago for the first time, but I saw the Megan Follows movie when I was younger, and the book is just as much fun to read as the movie is to watch. I think Megan Follows is brilliant as Anne, but that wonderful personality comes across just as well through the text, and if you made it to adulthood without having read it (like I did), you really should remedy that soon.

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Honestly, I feel like any book that was written before 1920 but still appeals to kids (in its original, unabridged form) is worth checking out. I was a voracious but impatient reader, and I loved this book. What child (or adult) doesn't love the idea of a secret place all their own?

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Obviously. Scout Finch is smart, good-hearted, and independent. She's a great character and an excellent narrator for a brilliant book.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

I loved this book when my parents gave it to me for my twelfth birthday. I grew up watching the Katharine Hepburn movie, and I have always loved this story. It's quiet and comforting to me, driven not just by the relationships between the sisters, but by each sister's personal journey of discovery. They have such lovely relationships, and the characters are just imperfect enough to be beautiful instead of annoying (probably because they were based on Alcott's own family).

Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
Having, as I do, a complete and utter lack of interest in stories about the American West, it took me 28 years to finally pick up this book even though I've been hearing about it basically my whole life. I now know that it is for good reason. Caddie is a delightful character, and the story moves quickly enough that even if you are like me and don't care for pioneer stories, you'll enjoy this.

The Wild Girls, by Pat Murphy
Historical fiction is supposed to take place at least fifty years in the past, and The Wild Girls  is set in the 1970s so it doesn't technically count. It's such a great book, though, and it definitely does have the feel of a different decade, so I decided to include it anyway. The characters are lovable and the book handles serious issues well—neither too heavy nor too lighthearted in its treatment of them, and just right for the age group.

5 Ways to Own Your Finances

Don't forget today is the last day to enter our giveaway!

Okay, okay. I know that finances don't typically fall into the category of loveliness. Bear with me.

My husband and I are aren't bad with money. We've never had any debt except a little student loan debt and a small moving-related setback right after we got married. But we also haven't managed to save a whole lot, and since our main current source of income was until recently commission-based rather than salaried, it could sometimes be a little nerve-wracking waiting for the next paycheck to come, especially when some months it might still not be enough.

But I'm telling you, our family started the first budget that we've really stuck to in a long time, and it feels lovely. Here are some of the things that have really helped us cut down our unnecessary spending and get money in savings for the first time in our two years of marriage. (Note: some of the things we've been doing were inspired by Brain Ford's 8 Pillars of Financial Greatness. It is awesome.)

1. Base your budget on the things you value most. If you value your family, travel, and staying out of debt, why would you spend your money on cars you can't afford, too much fast food, and expensive electronics? Sit down with your family, make a list of the things you value most, and then look at what you spend your money on. You will probably be shocked at how much you spend on things you actually don't care about at all, and how quickly little nothing purchases eat away at your money. Our list of values looked something like this (except there were a bunch more): 
   • Family - future and extended (i.e. having enough money to meet our obligations to current and future kids, and being able to visit our family in other states)
   • Security - having a place to live and a reliable car, being able to afford food and gas and stay out of debt
   • Relationships - being able to spend time together and build memories (vacations, date nights, fun outings together, etc.)
   • Health - being able to pay for insurance so we can go to the doctor if necessary; being able to eat healthy foods
   • Etc.
   Once we saw our values written out, it was easy to make some choices that had been hard before. For example, I wanted to use our tax return to buy a new computer, but when I really thought about what I valued, I realized I'd rather wait on the computer and instead put aside some savings so we can afford to have more kids, and so we can go to visit family in Texas this summer.
2. Establish an emergency fund. It doesn't have to be huge at first, but you should consistently add to it, and you shouldn't touch it except in an emergency. Your TV going out in the middle of football season is probably not an emergency. Your furnace going out in the middle of winter is. If you have an emergency fund, you don't have to go into debt when your car breaks down or you find out you have twelve cavities, and you don't have to lose your financial momentum (especially if you're paying off debt) or destroy your budget to take care of it. You have the money saved, you pay for your emergency and carry on with your life. We had a large tax refund this year and put $1000 nest egg in our emergency fund, which made me feel awesome.
3. If you can't figure out why your money disappears so fast, switch to cash and debit cards instead of credit cards. Credit cards are convenient, and some people pay them off at the end of each month and just use them to get rewards without going into debt, which is fine. (Using them to buy things you can't afford so you end up paying twice what the thing cost in the first place is probably a bad idea though.) That said, there is definitely a switch that goes off in your head when you have to hand the cashier $50 in cash. It will make you think about everything you add to the cart. (I kid you not, we have put back a bag of sausages before or decided not to buy olive oil until next week just because we have our grocery budget in cash. Maybe it's silly that we walk through the grocery store going, "$43.50! $47! $51!," but we stick to our budget.) We pull out our money for our groceries, gas and discretionary funds at the beginning of the month, and we don't spend any more than that on those things, even if we have it in our bank account.
4. If you share finances with someone else, you should each have a discretionary fund. There are things you want to buy that your partner doesn't care about. There are things your partner spends money on that you think are stupid. Establish a certain small amount each month that you can each spend without feeling like you need to justify it to your partner, and without feeling guilty about spending your family's money. Budgets feel a little like diets sometimes, and diets always go better if you get to eat some of the things you love even though you're cutting back overall. Having a discretionary fund will make you feel less stifled by your budget (so you won't suddenly splurge in revolt), but it will also make you aware of what you're spending on little purchases here or there. Because we take that money out in cash, we can also save it if we want to make a bigger purchase for ourselves, and it doesn't end up getting spent on something for the kids or the car. Last month I bought a couple of t-shirts for myself at the beginning of the month, a couple of treats for myself and my husband somewhere in the middle, and went out to lunch and to Old Navy with a friend at the end of the month. I didn't have to worry about whether I was spending money we didn't have because it was mine, and it had already been figured into the budget. 
5. Automate your budget as much as possible. A lot of your monthly bills will let you set things up so you can have them automatically deducted from your checking account. In the same manner, you can (gasp!) have money pulled directly from your paycheck into various savings accounts - then you don't even have to look at it when it comes in - you just start assuming you have less money to spend, until that day when you have lots of money to spend, on something neat like a house down payment. We have all of our monthly bills (utilities, student loans, insurance, etc.) deducted automatically from our account, plus we transfer money from each paycheck into different savings accounts: one for emergencies, one for travel, one for our next baby (so we don't have to spend nine months paying the next one off like we did with the first one.) 

Being aware of your finances is not a drag. It's liberating when you start to realize you can save a little money and you aren't panicked when the bills come in each month. It might not happen all at once, but no matter how much money you make, having good financial habits will make you feel more in control of your life. And that is lovely.

6 Nonfiction Books about Strong Girls

Miss Moore Thought Otherwise by Jan Pinborough

As someone who works in a library and takes my son to many children's programs there, I loved reading about the librarian who helped make it all possible. Anne Carroll Moore became a librarian at the Pratt Free Library soon after the first library room designed specifically for children was opened. She implemented many changes to make libraries more kid-friendly and also wrote what is likely the first book list for children's book recommendations.

"She urged the librarians to take down the SILENCE signs and spend time talking with children and reading them stories. She wrote book reviews and made book lists to help parents, librarians, and teachers find good books for children- and to encourage book publishers to publish better children's books."

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel

Like many others, I learned briefly about the beginning of unions and the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in a school history class, but I don't remember being taught about Clara Lemlich. She was an immigrant girl employed at the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist factory who proposed a strike at a mass meeting. Her words led to 20,000 garment factory workers walking out in protest. By the end of the strike, hundreds of garment factory bosses agreed to allow unions, shorten the work week, and raise salaries. This book does a great job of simplifying things without minimizing the importance of the story.

"And the strike convinces Clara to keep fighting for the rights of workers. Her throat is hoarse, her feet are sore, but she has helped thousands of people. Proving that in America, wrongs can be righted, warriors can wear skirts and blouses, and the bravest hearts may beat in girls only five feet tall."

Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone

Sometimes judging a book by its cover is a good thing. After seeing this whimsical cover and title on display at my library, I immediately snatched it up. This book is about Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the United States to graduate from medical school.  It tells Blackwell's story and teaches children how allowing women to attend medical school and become doctors has made our world a better place.

"I'll bet you've met plenty of doctors in your life. And I'll bet lots of them were women. Well, you might find it hard to believe, but there was once a time when girls weren't allowed to become doctors."

Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo

I learned about this book when it was nominated for Utah's 2013 Beehive Book Awards. This book is beautifully illustrated and gives a wonderful look into the life of a woman who was so much more than just a pretty face.

"Audrey often played characters who went through some kind of transformation, both inside and out. But in real life, Audrey always knew just who she was, and just where she had come from."

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

Like Just Being Audrey, this book was a Beehive nominee. I wish this book had been around when I was a young girl. I had such a fascination with Amelia Earhart and could never find anything that expanded beyond the very basics of her story. Fleming writes about Earhart's life and disappearance in alternating chapters, including interesting tidbits from people who claimed to hear her radio signals.

"Amelia was excellent at math- even if she did refuse to show her work. "Why bother to write out the steps if I can deduce the answer in my head?" she asked. Wrote her obviously exasperated third-grade teacher, Miss Walton, "Amelia's mind is brilliant, but she listens to another drummer."

Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland

I am amazed at the treasures one can find in a library, like this fun biography of Julia Child in graphic novel form. I love her story for many reasons. She broke cultural norms (such as marrying later in life and never having children) while still making a connection with women and mothers across America.

This book is just plain fun to read!

"They arrive in France on a rainy day in November 1948.

"Paul, how do you say 'I'm hungry?'"

Guest Post, Emily: Bucket List

Here's another great guest post we got while we were on our break, from Emily. Check out her fantastic personal blog at http://emilymcb.blogspot.com. 

I recently graduated from college and entered the adult world of full-time work. The transition was much harder on me than I expected it to be. Suddenly I didn't have papers to write or exams to study for, and I felt that I had free time coming out my ears.

All my life, all I'd known was school. First my main goals revolved around doing well in school, so I could get into college; then the main goal became finishing college, so I could get my bachelor's degree. I got stuck when I didn't know what I was working toward anymore.

I wasn't finding much fulfillment from my supposedly "dream" job, and I didn't want to spend all my life either working or watching Netflix. That's when I realized I needed to make some goals. Life goals.

I decided to make a bucket list.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted on my bucket list. What is it that I want to do before I die? What do I want my life to be about? What are my priorities?

Some things on my bucket list are silly (like learning how to milk a cow). Many involve traveling (like taking a road trip across the country or walking along the Great Wall of China). Some things I have control over (like reading all of Shakespeare's plays and running a half marathon), while others...not so much (like having kids). But that's okay! Because now, I feel like I have things to work on and things to look forward to. Things that I can do now, and things that need to wait 'til later.

What I've realized through all of this is how important it is for me to be setting goals and working toward them. My happiness is largely dependent on my productivity.

I want to have a lovely life. I'm trying my best to enjoy the small moments of everyday life, but when I'm feeling down, it's so nice to pull out my bucket list and think about the lovely moments that are waiting.

Living Single

I am now the only single author of this blog (Megan's getting married, did you hear?), and I felt the need to write about it.


Turns out the internets want to teach me how to live life as a single girl. I keep coming across these lists detailing things that MUST be done while I'm single. Is the universe not-so-subtly trying to tell me that I should hunker down for a long, single winter? Thanks, Universe. I hate you.


I think most of the things on this list work just as well for someone who is not single, but whatever, you get what you get.


"Wallow in the ache of a broken heart" is not necessarily something I would like to aim to accomplish in my life, although I'm pretty lucky because I've done it twice already! Go me!


The advice to "develop a hobby" is well meaning, but could go horribly wrong. The internet has taught me this, and I trust the internet implicitly.


"Learn how to take care of yourself" and "be completely, utterly, wholly single for at least three months" are actually great bits of advice that I have used quite often when talking to friends. A lot of problems can be resolved or avoided when you know how to cook a meal or fix a toilet or wash your own clothes. Also, it's difficult to be yourself in a relationship if you don't really know who you are outside of a relationship.


So thanks, Internet, now I can live my single life to its fullest. What would I do without you?

Feel Good

I came across this list while browsing one of my favorite blogs (Tangled and True). I love the idea of having a "feelgood list."


There are times when you just don't feel good. Times when depression or stress take away your ability to naturally do whatever it is that makes you feel good. You have to make a conscious effort to get up and get yourself ready for the day or to interact with people, to laugh and play, even to eat. Here is what the designer has to say about her reasons for creating this list:

Deep in the throes of postpartum depression, when it felt like I would never get better ever again, I made myself a list. The therapy was okay; my journal helped; my husband was great. But I needed to go at that thing with every possible weapon in the feel-good arsenal.

I read all the literature on depression; I researched neurochemistry as best I could. And then I sat down and listed every single thing I could think of that might help me feel better. Things my doctors had told me; things I knew about myself. I wrote them all down.

And then I started checking them off.

I never once got the whole thing checked off in a week, but working at it and seeing how much effort I was putting into my recovery made it start to feel like, well, recovery.

Now that I’m better I see that it’s not really a recovery list so much as a life list. It’s like my own best advice to myself. My own little reminder to be kind to myself, to make myself a priority, and to take time to stay healthy so that I don’t slide back down the dreaded, dreaded hill.

I just love that. As women, as mothers and daughters and sisters and friends, we all need a reminder to be more kind to ourselves, to take time for ourselves so we can continue to take care of the other people around us. Making a list is so simple it almost seems silly, and goodness knows I love a good list, but if that's what it takes to help pull you out of whatever it is that is dragging you down, then why not?

Secrets

I came across this article a while back while browsing around the internets and I saved it for some reason. Now I look at it again and I think, "Why did I save this?" I can only imagine I had an idea for a post but I cannot, for the life of me, remember that idea.

The article is called "11 Secrets Men Don't Know About Women," but they are kind of non-secrets and I don't really agree with a lot of them. Like the first one, for example: "Women don't like explosions, in art or in life." I actually do enjoy a movie with some explosions from time to time, especially really cool, fiery ones. And number three is a throw-away: "We grow pathetic goatees and look awful in cargo shorts anyway." What does that even mean?

If this list hadn't been written by a woman, it would tick me off. In fact, maybe because it was written by a woman I actually am a little ticked off. It's cliche and totally generic, right? Except for number eight: "Our clothes are complicated, our shoes unforgiving, and our constitutions delicate, so please, valet park." No one wearing 3-inch heels wants to park in China and hike to their destination. No one.

Maybe I saved this article because it bothered me so much. Maybe I felt like if this writer could include in a list of "secrets" the following statement: "Women aren't as funny as men. We're often cleverer, frequently wittier, but to be really funny demands a certain clownishness that our grace just does not allow. It's fine, really it is"- if that's the case, then maybe the list should have at least been clever or witty- since it's, you know, impossible for women to be funny.

So I'm not sharing this article because it's clever or witty or particularly poignant, but because it annoys me and I dislike it and I want you all to dislike it as well. That's a fair enough reason, right?

Lindsey Fantastic

One thing you need to know about me is that I am a big fan of lists, I would marry a list if it were possible. Since it is not, I will just have to settle with creating a list about myself for you to enjoy. Here goes.

1. I am weird. I really am. I like even numbers, I do not like mushrooms and I am wary of balloons (down graded from "afraid of" because I have improved in that department). There are many more things that exemplify my weirdness, but that would make this list far too long.

2. I love art, books, movies, music and television. That sounds vague and non-specific, but there is really no way to specify my favorites from those things because I generally just enjoy being entertained and don't really mind too much what genre, channel or time period that entertainment comes from.

3. I am a single, LDS girl in her mid-twenties and I live with my sister and her family. People generally don't know what to do with me.


4. I am quite addicted to my family. My sister is my best friend. My nephews and niece are some of my most favorite people to be around. My mom is amazing.

5. I don't think I really understand how funny I am. I'm still just trying to figure things out - but I LOVE IT when people laugh at my jokes. I just keep saying stuff and people laugh and that is surprising to me every time. Seriously, EVERY. TIME.

6. I have recently begun a love affair with Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Macadamia ice cream. This is probably the most important piece of information on this list because, if you ever want to become my friend, just show up at my door with a pint of it in your gorgeous hand and I will welcome you into my life with open arms.

7. I have more nick names than any one person should have to handle - and I still get new ones. I don't really know what makes a person susceptible to nick names, but whatever it is I have it.

8. I get crazy silly crushes on random celebrities, but I do an okay job at keeping them kind of under control. It's not like I still plaster pictures of them all over my wall or anything. I just, you know, follow them on Twitter...or not.

9. I am addicted to technology. I cannot live without my computer, my phone or my iPod. And they all have names.

10. I am happy to be where I am right now. This was not always the case, but I am glad that circumstances have changed to make it so.

So there I am, in a nutshell ("Look at me! I'm in a nutshell!"). I've already shared my reasons for creating this blog so I won't repeat myself, but I will say that I am looking forward to finding out why I felt the need to get this up and running. I am anxious to learn new things and figure out ways to make my life more like I want it to be and I am excited to share it all with you.