Frugal Friday

Taking Our Own Pictures

Since we have had a baby, and I have become a stay at home Mommy, we have had to find creative ways to save money. About a year ago, I saved my money and invested in a good digital camera, lens, and flash because photography has become a hobby of mine. My husband also recieved a version of photoshop for his birthday. When it came time to have our daughter's 6 week pictures taken, I decided to make my own "studio" in our living room and take them myself. I wouldn't be out any money if they didn't turn out good. I ended up being very pleased with the results and we ordered all the pictures we needed for us and our family for $27.oo!! I also spent $4.00 on black fabric for the back ground. I was very proud of my pictures, and incredibly proud of the price! Here are a few of the ones I took!

I am already searching photographer's blogs and wbsites for more picture ideas for her 3 month shots! Don't be afraid to try this yourself. There are lots of ideas out there and great technology to make your pictures look professional and save you money!

Check out Biblical Womanhood here for more frugal ideas.

Menu Plan Monday

This week I am trying to use up some things I already have so I can plan ahead for next week and get some good deals on food!!

Monday: Leftovers from the weekend

Tuesday: Pancakes and Sausage

Wednesday: Beef and Pasta meal (frozen meal from Blake's Mom)

Thursday: Salmon, rice, and broccoli

Friday: Chicken and rice

Saturday: Dinner on the road

Sunday: Baked Ziti (frozen from last week)

Check out orgjunkie.com for more menu ideas!

Headlights and Taillights

The right tail light on my car has been out for several months now. I went to Auto Zone to purchase a bulb and have them install it; however, they could not get to it to put it in. So, needless to say, I've been driving around without a brake light (praying I don't get pulled over when a cop is behind me) for a while. (Of course I did have a plan to pull out the bulbs I had purchased and plead my case with a new baby and all if I did get pulled over). Well, last week some time, my left head light went out. I decided it was time to take some action and get my car back in order. I went back to Auto Zone and purchased the bulb for the head light. Big shock... they were unable to put it in! I broke down and called the dealership and was told that I have to bring it in because they have to take the entire bumper off to replace the head light! How ridiculous is that??? But, I need to see when I drive at night, so off we go to Nissan. Do you know how much it costs to replace both headlights and brake lights? Eighty-four dollars!! I went ahead and had them replace both of them so I wouldn't be back in a week with another light out. On top of that, they informed me that my rear brakes are down to 10% and my A.C. line is leaking. Ughhhhh!!! There goes some money out of savings!! That took most of my day today. I did manage to cook dinner tonight and do a couple loads of laundry while DH held my baby girl and watched the Kentucky game. So, a pretty productive day! Now, I'm hoping for some sleep tonight!

A Successful Day!!!

Well, I am officially considering this a successful day! I was able to clean my bathroom, bedroom, and a good portion of my kitchen today! This is the most cleaning I've been able to do on my own since my little girl arrived! I'm hoping that I can clean a few more rooms tomorrow, and maybe have a clean house by then end of the week!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is my menu for this week. Hopefully I will be able to stick to it sice basketball season is now over and my hubby will be home after school instead of after practice! He should be able to help watch the baby so I can cook!

Monday: BBQ Chicken Pizza
Tuesday: Salmon and veggies
Wednesday: Sandwiches
Thursday: Chicken Casserole, green beans, and carrots
Friday: Baked Ziti
Saturday: General Tsao's Chicken, Broccoli, and rice
Sunday: Leftovers

Head over here to orgjinkie.com for more menu ideas!

My House Is Out Of Control!

I really thought that I would have all the time in the world to keep a sparkling home after I quit my job. Instead, my days fly by, and by the time 5:00 rolls around, I've managed to accomplish the following things: feed my baby, change diapers, and play with my baby. Where does the time go? Needless to say, my home is starting to drive me crazy! I know the most important thing is to take care of my baby, but there has to be a way for me to make some progress toward a clean home. I have decided to go back to Flylady. If you haven't heard of her, check her out at www.flylady.net. The first baby step is to keep a shiny sink. She also has the concept that you can do anything for 15 minutes. So, my goal for the next few days will be to keep my sink shiny and to set my timer for 15 minutes and clean something in my house. I will be posting my list of things I wish to accomplish for each room in my house! Check back for my progress!

Frugal Friday

Since I quit my job to stay at home with my baby girl, I am really trying to focus on ways to be frugal. One thing I am trying to work on is a way to bring in a little money for our family. When I can find some extra time, I am working on a way to bring in some extra money and declutter our house at the same time. I'm not sure I have the time to organize a garage sale, so I am working on listing some of our items to sell on Craig's list and Local Sales Network. This way I can make a little money on the things that we no longer use and are cluttering up our basement! Hopefully, I can post my progress as I take on this project!

Check out Biblical Womanhood for more frugal ideas!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Baked Chicken, Creamed Corn, and Baked Beans

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Wednesday: Sandwiches

Thursday: Salmon and veggies

Friday: Out with hubby for Valentine's Day (using a gift card)

Saturday: Grabbing something at the basketball game

Sunday: Grab something on the road

This week is pretty basic since we have a lot going on! Head over to Orgjunkie for more menu ideas!

2009 Financial Goals

I've been reading some other's financial goals for 2009, and have decided that is something I should set for us this year. Since we recently had a baby and I quit my job, it is important that I budget our money well. I have great motivation to do this because I want to stay home with our precious baby girl as long as I can. I feel like I am getting the hang of motherhood, so I can be on top of getting good deals and spending less on food now. So, here are some of my goals for 2009. They are pretty basic right now, but I will work on them through the year!

• Spend only $300 a month on food / groceries (this includes eating out)
• Save $1,000 in our Christmas Club account (this is an important time of year for us and I enjoy being able to do things for others)
• Have a "no spend" month. We will only spend money on bills, gas, and milk. I haven't decided which month this will be yet. I will need to pick a month with no birthdays and nothing major planned for us. The money we save will be used to pay off some debt and beef up our savings a little more for emergencies.
• Work on a budget for all spending and stick to it!
• Start consistently putting money in our daughter's college fund. (not sure the amount yet)
• Find a creative way to provide some extra income each month (I am looking into opening an Etsy store and selling some things on Craig's list / Local Sales Network)

These are just a few of my goals for 2009. I'm hoping to be able to stay home all year with our daughter. We'll see how it goes! Head over to Money Saving Mom to see what other's 2009 goals are!