Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Being Thriftful...

I get so many comments on wondering how I do it...

-How do you shop for that many?
-How do you cook for that many?
-What kind of meals do you make?
-What do you do for snacks?
-How often do you go grocery shopping?
-How many gallons of milk do you buy a week?
And the list goes on and on...

Well, I have been so often helped by others that I often think what I have to say is not that important or helpful but as I was driving today, I began to think that if I could help just one person find something that might help them, then that would bless me! 

  • My average grocery bill is about $125-$150 a week...that is for 13 people
  • I do not freeze many meals, I make them on a daily basis- I have tried other ways but it is just easier for me to make them everyday.  I will on occasion make a double batch of something and freeze it.
  • So far, my family eats about a 9x13 and a 9x9 dish at meals. We ALWAYS have sides with our meals such as fruit and/or veggies and a bread of some type
  • I make casseroles about 3 times a week for dinners
  • I usually start with what my meat will be and let that simmer in a crock pot and do the add-ons later in the day
  • Lunches are sandwiches or tortilla wraps with fruit and crackers
  • We don't snack except for rare occasions and then we have popcorn or apples with p-nut butter and raisins
  • I shop once a week for the bulk and then 2 other times for fill-ins
  • We go through about 6-7 gallons of milk a week
  • We make most things from scratch
  • We hardly ever buy desserts...my husband LOVES his chocolate so my girls are GREAT at making him treats quite often! :)
  • We do not drink pop or juices.  Water most of the time with a cup of milk for one meal a day
  • Cheese is our big expense and we go through MUCH of that in a week!  Like 20 cups or so!
  • I buy flour, sugar, spices and oatmeal in bulk at our Amish store about once a month
  • I use pasta, potatoes,eggs and rice often!  They are GREAT fillers!
  • Hamburger and other meat I use lightly...about 1 lb per recipe.  I usually just double up on other ingredients that are less costly...ground turkey is also very reasonable!
  • Biscuits are so versatile and we use them often!  Pizza boats, homemade donuts, baked sloppy joes, etc.
  • Once a week I make about 60 pancakes or french toast to use the rest of the week for another meal
  • I fry hamburger up all at once and freeze it in 1 lb packages to save time
  • Breakfasts are our lightest meals...my kids seem to eat very little at that meal
  • Dinner is our biggest meal but if dad is home during lunch, we change that around
I am going to keep going a little bit on this subject.  Please tell me some things you would like to know and I will try to accommodate! If you have any insight, I would love that also!
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

2 comments:

Fishcake_random said...

I would like to ask how you handle birthday presents if I may? Do you get one large present and everyone puts money in to buy it, or do they get a gift from every sibling? How would you organize that with out a huge amount of clutter accumulating?
Thank you for you wonderful blog
Sarah
X X X

kenton said...

Thanks so much for sharing! You do very, very well being thriftful. As a financial counselor, I learn so much from the parents of large families. I am convinced that the mothers of large families will get quite a reward in heaven for doing so much with such little money. I am sure most of them would be qualified to teach financial classes.
I was counseling a couple the other night with serious financial issues and near the end I was sharing with them about the large families that I visit. It was like the couple stopped dead in their tracks and wondered what they were complaining about. O thank God for the right perspective!
I am so thankful for the parents of large families to speak up and share about being thriftful! They have no idea just how many others they are encouraging! You are still in my prayers each and every day. Kenton

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails