If you follow my Carolina Clipper blog you know that my weekly budget for groceries and toiletries is $75. So, when I saw Mary Ostyn's Family Feasts for $75 a Week I knew it was a fit for our family. I was even more interested because she freely admits that coupons are not her thing. My thought~ If she can spend the same amount as me without clipping one coupon how much more can I save. I've spent the last week devouring this book and I love it! She covers many of the basics of saving money like sticking to a shopping list, creating a meal plan, and shopping the sales.BUT, my favorite part is all of the secret tips. It's like having your great grandma here to whisper all of the things that made her a domestic superstar. A few of my favorites: Slice sausage logs into patties, buy boneless ham in those shrink-wrap packs and ask the butcher to slice it thinly for you, and make expensive oil like sesame or olive oil last longer by mixing it with a less expensive oil.
She also includes 200 recipes and has handy-dandy lists like five fast meals and five freezer meals for crazy days. I'm so excited to try some new recipes and to use her helpful cooking shortcuts!
I felt like Mary summarized our family's journey for 2009 when she said, "At its heart, frugality isn't about deprivation. It's about taking control of your resources. It's about making the most of what you have. It's about making dreams happen".
With the right attitude, frugal shopping and cooking can feel like an adventure. It really is a way to reach your goals. My goal for 2010~ To continue to cut the "froufrou" that sucks up bucks without adding to our quality of life. To spend $60 per week ($15 less than 2009) and use the extra $780 yearly savings towards our summer vacation.
How do you plan to take control of your resources? What are some of your 2010 goals?
FYI- You can follow Mary's blog here.
4 comments:
How do you do it???? I would love to know more about how you eat on $75 a week. Thanks for the suggestion on this book.
Hi Kristi, How do I do it? It's a combo of many small things that add up to big savings. I started with the goal of $100/wk and found that through coupons and shopping sale items I could actually do $75. I'd love for you to check out my blog www.carolinaclipper.blogspot.com as I go over many details on how to make it practical and easy. Also, I really would suggest the book mentioned in this post! It is a very easy read and a good summary of how to save big money quickly. Start small and you'll see the rewards! If you have more specific questions feel free to email me at carolinaclipper@gmail.com.
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