FREE Planner Addict Bill Tracker.. Print, resize and keep track for the year

Free Planner Bill Tracker because when life gets 

out of control we need to track LOL.. 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Hugs, 

Kristin

Top 10 keys to healthy meal planning on a budget & free March printable menu planner

Top 10 Keys to healthy meal planning on a budget

1. Stick to your List. It’s important to make a list and stick to it. Be prepared when you go to the grocery store. Do not go with a list in your head or you WILL add a lot of unwanted items to your grocery cart. 

2. Eliminate junk food and foods loaded with preservatives and sugar. The first step in achieving an ultimately healthy lifestyle is removing dangerous foods that cause you to crave other dangerous foods. Foods that are not healthy for you or your budget. Try removing one thing at a time. If you try to go cold turkey and remove everything at once you are setting yourself up for failure. We, as humans, desire most what we cannot have. I have learned the substitution method. I pick an unhealthy food  that I really enjoy like a dish with pasta and I replace the pasta with cauliflower and now my brain is triggered to believe I am still getting the wonderful (not so good) foods I used to crave. 

3. Do not go to the store hungry. The quickest way to blow the budget and your health goals is to go the store hungry. Your emotions of hunger can take over and convince you to buy things that you do not need. 

4.Buy local. You can buy beautiful, wonderful whole food if you shop local, in season. Watch for the ma and pa stands. Sometimes they can be pricier than the big box store, but if you search around, looking for roadside stands, you are bound to run into a reasonably priced market of wonderful food that will keep you in your budget. I usually can find those types of markets on the more urban side of side like perhaps a Latino store, featuring Mexican food, may have ridiculous low priced produce. They also will carry unusual items so that you can give your family the opportunity to try new foods. 

5. Double your Portions when cooking. This way you will not only save more by buying in bulk in a sense but you will save time. Instead of making 7 dinners a week, you may only need to make 4 because you can have leftover day. For example when we have tacos I make plenty of meat and the next day I take my leftover meat and cook it up with some chopped tomato and onions and then I add some cooked pasta. I serve with thinly chopped cilantro, grated cheese and sour cream over the top. 

6. Shop the perimeter of the store. Most everyone knows this old trick but it’s still a good reminder to shop the outside isles of the store because the center contains all the canned and boxed food (unhealthy food) whereas the perimeter of the store carries the bulk of the fresh whole foods such as meats, fruits and veggies. 

7. Buy in Bulk. The more of something you purchase, generally the less expensive it will be. I always, always compare prices and I will always, first scan the local ads for the deals of the week. Once your scan the ads then you can begin purchasing certain things in bulk, creating generous savings throughout the year. 

8. Learn different methods of preserving food because when in season you can purchase bulks of food for extremely low prices. This is when canning, freezing, dehydrating and drying will come in handy especially towards maintaining you lower food expenses. 

9. Plan & Prep meals ahead. See an article I did on this subject and why it is so important. 

10. Lastly have a plan. Give yourself a budget and stick to it. Recruit the family. Make yourself accountable to them. If need be google how to eat healthy on a budget and there are plenty of great, very informative articles that will list very inexpensive healthy foods

Happy Planning 

Kristin 

 Click Here for PDF 

 

 Click Here for PDF

Click Here for PDF

Free February Menu Planner Printables & 5 menu planning tips for newbies

5 menu planning tips for newbies

The best way to stay on track with your menu planning is to make it as pain free as possible. If you do fall off the planning wagon please stay away from the overburdening guilt that will try to latch on to your super hero conscience, and just hop right back on. Here are a few tips for newbies that I like to share with people so that we can make the process as “underwhelming” as possible. 

Step 1. Plan once a month. The quickest way to “give up” or “quit” menu planning is to spend hours on end planning the perfect menu. You do not need the perfect menu; no does your family, in most cases, expect the “perfect meal”. If they are anything like the typical family they will just appreciate a meal together.

Step 2. The easiest way to plan a months’ worth of dinners is to first decide how many hot meals you would like to cook each week. For example I cook 5 dinners a week and EVERY Wednesday and Saturday are leftovers or sandwiches. Whichever comes first? 

Step 3. I create a menu that I duplicate each and every month. For example, for our family this is how it goes. Same theme, different recipes. Everyone Sunday is a crockpot meal, Monday – Soup or salad depending on the time of the year, Tuesday – Ethnic food (tacos, lasagna, Greek soup etc.), Wednesday – Leftovers, Thursday – Breakfast for dinner, Friday – Pizza (A different homemade pizza each week), and lastly Saturday leftovers. 

Step 4. Print out your meal planner, grab a hot cup of tea or coffee, a pen and open to Pinterest or Google. Now, what you need to decide is the type of meals you would like to make for your family. You might want down home meals, Diet meals, low-carb meals, paleo meals etc. Then you need to Google the type of meal you are looking for. For me, I look for Low-Carb crock pot meals. Then I copy and paste the recipes into a word doc and print it. When all my recipes are compiled I place the list near my monthly meal planner.

Step 5. If you are ambitious enough you could decide to preplan a grocery list based on the meals you’ve listed on your plan. That way, when items come up for sale through the month you already know what ingredients you are looking for and potentially can save quite a bit of money by planning ahead. 

Please Enjoy these Free Printables  

Be inspired to Plan 

Kristin 

     Click Here Menu 1

Click Here Menu 2

Click Here Menu 3

Note to Self 2015

As 2015 is coming to a close, the all too indifferent realization that I let yet another year pass without chasing my goals, is upon me.

Ok so I did create a y
Youtube channel and actually upload some videos. That is impressive for my very passive, procrastinating personality. This is all great until one day I get an email from adsense stating that I will never be able to earn revenue with them for breaking their policy's and procedures. WHAT! I can not believe it. I am not able to make a few bucks with youtube now. After all the hard work up uploading and creating and winning viewers, I now find out I am a convicted adsense felon?? Really?..  I feel horrible. So what do I do? Yes you guessed it! I appeal it like any smart, driven, youtube wanna would. They reply 2 months later with,"Sorry we will not reinstate your account for reasons we are not allowed to tell you." Oh brother, this just gets better and better. Are you kidding, "for reasons you are not allowed to disclose to me" the person whose heart you have crushed in one fall swoop.. Oh adsense ooh adsense let down your hair.. Boo Hoo.. Oh well time to find another opportunity, It's all in the Lord's hands.

I think it helps to have a husband who is very serious about doing what we say.

So we made the big move to the farm. Boy, that in itself is an accomplishment. In me (without the Lord) I would just lay in a field and sleep the day away, hoping when I wake up all is well. Everything is good and finished exactly the way I envisioned it lol.

Soon after moving in to our dream house I realized getting internet would be no easy task. We
searched day and night for weeks for a company that would provide internet to our little home 3 miles from McDonalds. Yes, isn't that ridiculous. 3 Miles! Finally a door opened and the internet light shone through brightly. Yay, finally we have internet. We are told off the bat no streaming. Hmm internet without steaming? Is that internet at all? Not sure but it's better than nothing.

Now, I realize uploading videos may be a dream of the past so I go back to my first love of blogging. Yes there are those crazy mommas out there making 6 figures blogging. I read about them all the time in my Pinterest feed lol.

I am not interested in making 6 figures. I am interested in helping to bring a few dollars into our home while I share my passion. Ok sounds easy hey? Hmm Nahhh. Ok so we start over yet again.
My youtube channel us Finding My Homestead. That is what I am crazy about! Not building an empire but building a safe, warm, cozy home for my family, which at this moment is a challenge to even write. You see my darling son, whom I raised alone for 10 years, alone, is now 13 and for 7 years things have been over the top problematic with him. Don't get me wrong my son is actually one of the most amazing people I have ever met. He has a heart the size of New York. He is smart and crafty and sweet and lovable.

Now as a parent, as his mom, I love him like crazy and never want to give up on him. Although it feels as though I am dealing with 5 children in one with him. He has arrested development and physical problems as well, which can make the in's and out's of daily life very very rigorous and emotional. So as mom I will never give up but as a human being I fall very short of the "do not give up" stance.

Well any how blogging is my passion. I know that I probably need to start over with wordpress so thats what I will do. My dream is to meet like minded people along the way and maybe even touch a heart or two.

Today I am inspired to begin YET again ..
Be inspired

Some Great Spring Gardening Tips 2014

Compliments of The helpful gardener

This year I need all the help that I can get to make the most amazing garden in the universe. I WANT to be called the Ninja Gardener heee.. 

Great Spring Gardening Tips 

Pruning For early blooming shrubs such as forsythia and viburnum,  prune them as soon as blooms have passed. Early  spring is also an ideal time to prune your roses. Deadheading Remove spent flowers from bulbs,  but leave the rest of the plant as is for the time being. Weeding Pull weeds from your beds and borders  before they have a chance to take hold and spread. Composting Tend to your compost if it has been neglected  over the winter. If you do not have a compost bin,  spring is a great time to start one. Tools Spring is a good time to prepare your tools  for the oncoming gardening season and to make  any necessary repairs or new purchases. You will  be happy you have done so when summer sets in. Plant Spring is a great time to add new  plants to your garden. Be sure, however, that  all threat of frost has past. Plant such things trees,  shrubs, hardy annuals, and summer blooming bulbs. Fertilize & Mulch Fertilize and mulch beds and borders.  Spring is also a good time to fertilize fruit trees.  If you applied heavy winter mulch for protection from  the cold, you will need to clear it away. Staking Stake plants that may be prone to wind damage  during the unpredictable spring weather. Lawn Care Spring is the best time to start a new lawn from  seed. For established lawns, you should start  mowing in the spring, but don’t initially cut the grass very short for the first few times. Of course, whether you start these  chores in early, mid, or late spring depends  on the climate where you live, taking in to  account such factors as when the threat of frost  has past or when the ground is thawed enough to  dig. I hope these tips will give you a good idea as to  where to focus your attention in your garden this spring. Enjoy!