How to be frugal without going insane
I have the coupons printed. It’s the last day to get the deal. It’s pouring down rain. I pack my two small children in the car, fasten into carseats, drive to Rite-Aid. Unload, get them in the cart, safely maneuver around the candy aisle and the toy car display without a scene. So far, so good.
We only need one thing so I head straight to the back. I search the shelves until I find the two small pink boxes. Check the coupon: $2 off two boxes of *ahem* certain feminine products. Perfect, done. I hope for a female cashier (am I the only one who hates purchasing feminine products from men?). Hope is dashed, of course.
I keep my eyes down, hand over my pink boxes. The total is way too high. Must be wrong. I hand over my coupons. Beep beep beep. They don’t work. I begin to sweat. Try again. Beep beep beep. A line is forming behind me. My kids start to fidget. “Mommy, are we done yet?”
The cashier holds up the boxes, compares them to the picture in the ad. Are you kidding me? Sweat beads on my forehead. He picks up the intercom phone, “Can I get a price check on register three, please. Price check on three.” Oh, for crying out loud!
Finally a small committee forms at register three, analyzing my boxes of feminine products while a sea of customers lined up behind me looks on. Can’t they open another register? It must be a hundred degrees in here. “Oh, ma’am, the coupon is for 24-count. This box is 18-count. Sorry, we’re out of 24-count boxes. Would you like your coupons back to use for another time?”
Oh, it’s ok, no thank you. I turn and face my audience, smile in humiliation, and lead my children out of the store, empty-handed. Why is being frugal so frustrating? … {Read the rest over at FrugalLivingNW …Oh, and be sure to read the hilarious embarrassing-story comments people wrote at the bottom. Leanna’s takes the cake! Hope you can enjoy a little levity and laughter today… Thanks for reading!}
What to do with that job you hate …
It hung on the wall opposite the toilet. A brilliant spot when you think about it. An old wooded frame, small but readable print. I never made it to double-digits in that house, but the framed quote still comes to mind, often when I first rise in the morning, even though I haven’t seen it in 22 years. From Charles Kingsley, more than 150 years ago:
““Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance, self-control, diligence, strength of will, content, and a hundred other virtues which the idle never know.”
Isn’t there something in your soul which agrees, amen, to this truth? Perhaps it’s my personality, or a little too much Martha in my veins, but I am so grateful that God gives us purposeful work to do each day. I love me a good job to do.
But at times I need to be reminded of this, of the blessing of all work, especially when the work includes grumpy people (of whom I’m usually chief!), a hundred interruptions, or spending long periods of time on hold with Comcast.
I’d rather scrub the toilet by hand than wait on hold with Comcast.
Anyway, isn’t part of gratitude thanking God for whatever work He’s given us each day? We know that work is not the curse, good and purposeful work was given before the curse. The struggle of work is part of the curse, work itself is not.
Sometimes I love my to-do list, sometimes I do not. What’s your “it” job? The one you avoid? The one that causes the grumbles to bubble up in your soul?
Name it. Then thank God for it.
Thank God for that work. That job. That thing.
Then eat your frog.
You know, your frog. That same one thing, one job that you avoid doing. Loathe doing. Grumble about doing.
Do it first.
Very first thing, after your fill-your-cup morning routine: Eat that frog and be done with it. You’ll have so much more energy having conquered the worst part of your day, and everything else will feel like dessert to-dos after already swallowing the frog-part. Tsh Oxenreider lists this as the first step to simplifying life, quoting Mark Twain:
“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."
Such a simple habit that reaps beautiful rewards. Every morning, thank God for work. Thank Him, by faith, for the “worst” work you have ahead. Then get that worst part over with. Whether it’s exercising or scrubbing toilets or doing the laundry, git ‘er done and enjoy the rest of your day.
Who knows, between the gratitude and go-after-it attitude you might even find yourself enjoying that frog. Unless, of course, it involves calling Comcast … But as Ann Voskamp would say, miracles follow thanksgiving, so anything is possible. {Thanks for reading, now go thank God and devour that frog!}
F is for Farm, Afton Field
Someone recently asked me where we’ve landed with food. That is, what kind of food, how to keep within the budget, etc. after a year of following the Food Stamp Challenge. It’s pretty much gotten whittled down to this: Eat real food for fuel and fellowship.
As life gets full, I’m finding less and less time for elaborate meals or even extensive meal-planning. Our grocery list has gotten very short, our budget has stretched a bit (up to $250), but all in all it works for us. If you’re interested, here’s the gist of it:
- My goal is to have a mindset that food is fuel. How often do we use food for things other than what it’s met for? To nourish our bodies for God’s service. But secondly, food is for fellowship too — we’re meant to break bread together and enjoy each other, so I never want to whittle down so much that we don’t have room for hospitality and the joy of a good ‘ole BBQ!
- I switched to just meal planning per week because it’s easier to take advantage of sales, specials, and seasonal peak-picked produce. I only cook about 4 nights a week, the rest is leftovers.
- We quit drinking milk altogether (just a preference & cost thing). We stick with Tillamook cheese and stock up when it’s on sale. (my kids eat lots!)
- For meat we buy Draper Valley or other high-quality/local/or organic poultry and grass-fed beef. (*more on that in a moment…) Still making lots of chicken stock!
- We quit sugar and bought a gallon of raw honey and use it whenever we need sweetener… yum.
- I haven’t made bread for a few months. Not cutting out all wheat, I just wanted to re-train my kids to eat a variety of foods besides bread! That’s helped so much!
- We’re plowing through the organic eggs for breakfast every morning. About 10 dozen a month. Yikes! But it’s still a fairly inexpensive protein source and kids love it. I still make them oatmeal each morning as well, with applesauce, frozen blueberries, and a touch of raw honey.
- Lots of organic peanut butter from Costco.
- I still buy most my produce from Azure Standard or Spicer Brother’s Produce.
- I still aim for the under-$2/lb. rule on everything except meat.
- Treats: uncured nitrite-free hot dogs and the occasional 1/2 gallon of ice cream. There’s just nothing like a hot dog and ice cream on a summer’s night…
When it's time to make adjustments
It was June 6th. I opened the fridge. Almond milk, some turkey bacon, some apples. A few eggs.
That was it. Hmmm…
We do our monthly budget from 15th to 15th, so that meant nine more days with nothing but beans and rice, almond milk, and some turkey bacon.
“Mommy, I’m hungry.”
We had company coming over the next night for dinner, and the following weekend family arriving from out of state.
“Do you think they want beans and rice?” I half-joked.
I checked my wallet again. Change, no dollars. This wasn’t going to work.
Time for adjustment.
Just then my cell phone rang. My friend, with whom we’re doing the Family Garden, gave me the news that we couldn’t do the garden in the soil, as planned. We’d need to build raised beds. I’d just posted this, about the lessons of redemption and sanctification through this new identity gardening process.
Time for adjustment. (This one was welcome because it would be way easier!)
Earlier that day I packed up the kids for a playdate at the park. We walked there, and just as we arrived, I got a call that our house was showing in less than one hour.
Time for adjustment.
Grateful for amazing friends who watched my kids and let me borrow a car to run home and hurriedly clean. I couldn’t do the top-notch job as normal, instead resorting to shoving all the laundry in the washer, filling a basket with all the random items and hiding it in the garage. But you know what, it was fine.
Knowing when to make adjustments. Isn’t that what wisdom is?
Grocery prices are soaring and our growing kids are hungry. Time to up the food budget to $250, give ourselves some room to breathe. Skip the back-breaking labor and build a raised bed garden. There are plenty of other things to break our backs over. Clean the house a tad less than perfect, ignore the fingerprints all over the fridge, and trust that when the right person comes, they’ll love the house, fingerprints and all.
A wonderful, uber health-conscious friend of mine, a mom of seven, recently went on a women’s retreat. While she was gone her family ordered 19 pizzas.
And she was all smiles.
Because she’s a wise woman who knows how to have high standards, and when to let those standards *ahem* adjust.
Wisdom.
Sometimes we can be more committed to the idea of something than the good of something. I am committed to our frugal grocery-budget as long as it is good for our family (and sometimes going without is the greatest good there is!). I am committed to busting my behind cleaning this house for every single house-showing as long as it is good for our family (and sometimes the good is that my kids know how to beat feet and clean up their messes!). But I am praying for a heart filled with heavenly wisdom. A heart that knows when to stick to my guns and when to let it all go. A heart that sees things from His perspective.
A heart that’s not so blinded by my own ideals that I can’t see His ideas.
Like Peter.
God points to all the unclean animals and says, “kill and eat.” Peter says, “Surely not! I’ve never eaten anything unclean!” (Acts 10)
Ha! Don’t you love it when our ideals contradict God’s ideas?
And His ideas are so far beyond ours. They are beyond our imaginations (Eph 3:20).
Yes, this is just about the grocery budget, I suppose. Adding $50 to our monthly tab isn’t earth-shattering news. But isn’t that the beauty of Sacred Mundane, that the details of life are the whispers of a Savior…
Because everything matters.
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Are there any areas in your life that may need some divine adjustment? Where are you tempted to stubbornly stick to ideals rather than humbly listening for His ideas? Thanks for reading.
F is for Freedom: Addiction vs. Nutrition
We began talking here, about finding freedom from an addiction to food. The battle is really the same, no matter what the particular lust, so we talked about the ANTHEM way of battling temptation and the resolve of Locking of the Lawnmower if there’s a particular item which causes us harm. Today I’d love to share one more little tidbit that helped me immensely in my walk away from frustration and into freedom.
Addiction vs. Nutrition
There are two basic ways to approach the issue of food. It finally became clear that part of my problem was only addressing the issue by one or the other of these approaches rather than by both. Both must be addressed. Here’s what I mean:
Years ago I read the book Weigh Down by Gwen Shamblin. This book has sold more than million copies, with good reason. She very rightly addresses the issue of diet and weight loss from the perspective of addiction, that is that we try to fill a spiritual void with physical food. Her entire philosophy can be simmered down to this:
- Eat food when you are physically hungry (stomach growling)
- Eat spiritual food when you are spiritually hungry (lonely, needy, tired, weary, sad)
Absolutely. In my opinion, she is spot on. And this simple truth seriously changed my life. The simple differentiation between spiritual hunger and physical hunger is huge. As Beth Moore says,
Every excess is a sign of emptiness.
If that’s not the most profoundly true statement I don’t know what is. Every time we battle with an excess we can be sure there is some emptiness in our heart. Every time. So first we must address the issue of addiction. (Filling our hearts with a substance rather than Christ.) Books that deal with nutrition and not addiction are missing the point entirely.
However, Shamblin’s book makes a slight misstep in that she enthusiastically maintains that it makes NO difference whatsoever WHAT you eat. The only thing that matters is when (at true hunger). She justifies this by quoting New Testament scriptures that show that all foods are clean and that only what comes out of a man makes him unclean.
I totally agree. Christ made all things clean. What we eat does not make us more spiritual or unspiritual.
But, it can help us on the road to wholeness.
For me, the true freedom came through addressing both important issues. In the Old Testament the reason that God gave certain dietary guidelines was that God wanted to communicate what was good for people! Just as He told people not to sin because it would cause them harm, He advised them not to eat animals with cloven hoof (i.e. pigs) because, quite frankly, it’d probably give them a heart attack! We don’t have to follow the clean and unclean Old Testament statutes, but we are wise to consider that there must have been something behind God’s Words or else He wouldn’t have spoken them. Make sense?
The key is in addressing both.
If we only address nutrition, we can be super-healthy-diet-freaks and still be overweight and living in bondage because we haven’t dealt with the spiritual food/physical food issue of addiction.
If we only address addiction, we can get skinny to be sure, but we still may not be walking in the wholeness and health God intended for us. I’ve been there. I was skinny, to be sure, but I battled headaches and PMS and fatigue and all sorts of things that accompany poor nutrition.
Again, friends, certainly not claiming I do this perfectly or have this all figured out. But on my own journey it has been the addressing both addiction and nutrition which has brought true freedom to my life. Doesn’t it always seem to be the enemy’s plan to get us falling off to one extreme or the other? So often all we need is a balanced approach.
Thanks so much for reading.
F is for Freedom: Lock up the Lawnmower
Two weeks ago we broached the topic of freedom from a struggle with food. We looked at the ANTHEM way to flee from lust, which served as a great reminder that a battle with lust manifests itself in so many ways. Alcohol, food, sex, attention, drugs–so many things can turn into addictions when we fall prey to lust. So when I share practical helps in walking in freedom from a struggle with food, these things can really be applied to wherever the particular lust happens to rear its ugly head. And, as I mentioned before, though I can joyfully attest to walking in freedom for eight years, I do not mean to imply that I never struggle (1 Cor. 10:12). But these are the things that have helped me to live a life that is characterized by freedom.
Lock up the Lawnmower.
Or in my case, the Kitchenaid. In college I was the cookie-baker. I’ve always enjoyed baking, and had a knack for making some pretty delectable cookies that my brother and all of my 7 roommates (and all my brother’s roommates and all my roommates’ brothers), loved to enjoy. Our house was a social hub, and there were always plenty of people who loved to eat plenty of cookies.
And I’ve always loved to feed people. I think that’s a spiritual gift. But, while I was struggling in this battle with food, the cookie-baking always tripped me up. It sounds sort of embarrassing now, but I would be in this continual cycle of making them because I wanted to bless everybody, but then eating so many I hated myself and felt sick. Ugh. Oh friends, I know what it feels like to live in this feeling of bondage. I don’t care of it’s cookies or crack cocaine … the root is the same.
So finally one day I was pouring out my heart to God about it. I was saying how frustrating it was that I had this gift of hospitality and loved to bake for people, but always fell into this pit whenever I did.
He showed me a picture of a lawn mower.
Huh?
A lawn mower is wonderful tool and can be used to cut grass and bless people, just like baking for them and blessing them with food. BUT, a lawn mower can also be dangerous, deadly even, when operated by a child or someone too weak or inexperienced.
The Lord showed me that at that point, I was too weak to operate the lawn mower. In fact, because I had such a tendency to want to operate the lawn mower, and because I’d most certainly get hurt every time I did, I needed to lock it up. Put it away, forever if need be, but at least until I was strong and mature enough to wield it with wisdom. Sound silly? Probably not if you’ve ever had this struggle.
I know a wonderful man who has fought a 20-year battle with alcoholism (and won!). The turning point came when he finally resolved that he would never touch alcohol again. Before he had just aimed to “get better” but never hated his sin enough to refuse to ever touch it again. In his entire life. He hasn’t touched it and hasn’t struggled since.
Now obviously you cannot “give up” all food. But most of us have a trigger food that usually trips us up. My advice? Give it up. Forever. Yes, there may be a point when you are strong and experienced enough to get that lawn mower out. (Praise Jesus I can now bake cookies without overeating! But I still choose not very often to just because sugar isn’t beneficial for anyone.) But we must get sick enough of our struggle that we’re willing to forever give up whatever triggers our sin.
What do we have to lose?
Shackles. That’s what.
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Is there any “trigger” item in your life that causes you to struggle? How could you kick that item to the curb and never invite it back? Commit it to prayer and ask God to illuminate anything that might be your “lawn mower.” Then lock it up for good. Thanks for reading.
F is for Freedom
Will Ferrell shoves a piece of cake in this mouth then stops mid-chew. “What am I doing?! I don’t even want this cake!” He throws his plate in the garbage. Then he stands there staring at the rest of the large sheet cake sitting on the table. He reaches down with his hand this time and grabs a handful, stuffs it in his mouth. Stops again, horrified. “What am I doing?!” By now he has frosting all over his hands, on his face, the sheet cake is a mess, and everyone is laughing.
And I want to cry. Why? I know what that feels like.
I’ve been there.
I’ve never shared about this here because who on earth wants to share with the world their past struggle with an embarrassing addiction? No one wants to sit in a group laughing hysterically at Will Ferrell and then admit, “Yeah, I used to do that too.”
But I did.
For about five years I struggled with food. For the first two years it would have been labeled an “eating disorder” though I had no disorder, I had just slowly given the enemy a foothold in my life by choosing to believe his lies about my self-worth rather than the truth of God’s Word. For the next three years I was “free” to eat, which was wonderful, but then the enemy just tried a new tactic–getting me to overeat and feel miserable about myself because I knew in my heart that over-indulgence was just as sinful as starvation. Neither glorifies God or surrenders control to Him and I knew it. So I struggled.
But God is so faithful.
Now, by God’s precious grace, it has been 8 years that I’ve been walking in freedom, in the truth of who I am in Christ, experiencing health and wholeness not lust and bondage. I do not mean to say that I have “arrived” (“Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall!” 1 Cor. 10:12), but I want to share that we do not have to walk in bondage in this area.
We can be free.
I’ll admit, a huge part of my freedom came when I got married. Through the revolutionary love of my husband I had a “born again” experience with regards to my body. He loved me in a way that transformed every ounce of my being. God’s love, through Jeff, changed me.
But all along that path there were daily choices too. Often radical transformation is simply the sum of a million little choices. And one of the most valuable resources for me was John Piper’s ANTHEM strategy for fighting lust. It’s made for guys, but works for us girls too. Lust has many faces — all of which are sin. Perhaps this can be helpful for you, as you make daily choices to choose Christ instead of a sinful indulgence.
If this is helpful perhaps I can write more on this topic and/or share more resources I’ve found helpful. I don’t want to assume this is a huge struggle, but want to allow God to “fully redeem” my past if it is helpful for you at all. I’d love feedback. Thanks, as always, for reading.
By grace, with joy,
Kari
A – AVOID as much as is possible and reasonable the sights and situations that arouse unfitting desire. I say “possible and reasonable” because some exposure to temptation is inevitable. And I say “unfitting desire” because not all desires for sex, food, and family are bad. We know when they are unfitting and unhelpful and on their way to becoming enslaving. We know our weaknesses and what triggers them. “Avoiding” is a Biblical strategy. “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness” (2 Timothy 2:22). “Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Romans 13:14).
N – Say NO to every lustful thought within five seconds. And say it with the authority of Jesus Christ. “In the name of Jesus, NO!” You don’t have much more than five seconds. Give it more unopposed time than that, and it will lodge itself with such force as to be almost immovable. Say it out loud if you dare. Be tough and warlike. As John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.” Strike fast and strike hard. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” ( James 4:7).
T – TURN the mind forcefully toward Christ as a superior satisfaction. Saying “no” will not suffice. You must move from defense to offense. Fight fire with fire. Attack the promises of sin with the promises of Christ. The Bible calls lusts “deceitful desires” (Ephesians 4:22). They lie. They promise more than they can deliver. The Bible calls them “passions of your former ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14). Only fools yield. “All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter” (Proverbs 7:22). Deceit is defeated by truth. Ignorance is defeated by knowledge. It must be glorious truth and beautiful knowledge. This is why I wrote Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. We must stock our minds with the superior promises and pleasures of Jesus. Then we must turn to them immediately after saying, “NO!”
H – HOLD the promise and the pleasure of Christ firmly in your mind until it pushes the other images out. “Fix your eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1). Here is where many fail. They give in too soon. They say, “I tried to push it out, and it didn’t work.” I ask, “How long did you try?” How hard did you exert your mind? The mind is a muscle. You can flex it with vehemence. Take the kingdom violently (Matthew 11:12). Be brutal. Hold the promise of Christ before your eyes. Hold it. Hold it! Don’t let it go! Keep holding it! How long? As long as it takes. Fight! For Christ’s sake, fight till you win! If an electric garage door were about to crush your child you would hold it up with all our might and holler for help, and hold it and hold it and hold it and hold it.
E – ENJOY a superior satisfaction. Cultivate the capacities for pleasure in Christ. One reason lust reigns in so many is that Christ has so little appeal. We default to deceit because we have little delight in Christ. Don’t say, “That’s just not me.” What steps have you taken to waken affection for Jesus? Have you fought for joy? Don’t be fatalistic. You were created to treasure Christ with all your heart – more than you treasure sex or sugar. If you have little taste for Jesus, competing pleasures will triumph. Plead with God for the satisfaction you don’t have: “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14). Then look, look, look at the most magnificent Person in the universe until you see him the way he is.
M – MOVE into a useful activity away from idleness and other vulnerable behaviors. Lust grows fast in the garden of leisure. Find a good work to do, and do it with all your might. “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11). “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Abound in work. Get up and do something. Sweep a room. Hammer a nail. Write a letter. Fix a faucet. And do it for Jesus’ sake. You were made to manage and create. Christ died to make you “zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14). Displace deceitful lusts with a passion for good deeds.
F is for Frugal still
As I wrote about here, we made some significant changes in our diet after reading about the effects of excess sugar and carbs. My primary motivation was my skin, and Jeff is just a champ and loves jumping on board with healthy living however it may look. My kids are addicted to my homemade bread, which clued me in that we needed change things up a bit.
But several of you have asked, “What about the budget?” We do have a $200/month budget for groceries (all food, household, toiletries, etc.), and I wasn’t sure if that would last through this transition. I relied heavily on cheap items like bread, pasta, and rice to fill these four tummies. Would our budget survive on this healthier diet?
Thankfully, the answer is yes.
Diet is such a personal thing, so I certainly don’t mean to imply you need to make these same changes. But my whole philosophy is if something works for us, why not share it? I hope you do the same for me.
(You can read more details of what we’re eating here.)
- Less is more. I guess the big change is eating fewer items, but more nutrient-dense foods. So these items are gone from my grocery list: Sugar, brown sugar, milk, snacks (I discovered milk was a problem food). But these items are added: uncured turkey bacon, almond milk, nuts, lots of fresh local eggs. The added items are much more rich in nutrients so it doesn’t take much to get filled. Veggies, protein, beans, and nuts are all pretty simple foods that pack a lot of nutrients power. Coffee also is a very expensive habit, even at home. I still love my coffee, but I’m trying to mostly drink tea at home, then let myself have coffee as a treat.
- Head hunger. In my opinion, the most positive thing about making these changes is cutting out head hunger. It’s really hard to crave or overeat eggs and green beans, no matter how tasty they are. Most of our head hunger or emotional eating is of sugary carbs (since those are addictive). And though I can’t lie, I do miss sugar sometimes, it is really freeing to get back to the basics of eating to live. The only time I really miss “treats” is when I want to do something special for the kids, so I’m still experimenting with ways to make treat-like food in sugar-free ways. However, let’s just say my sugarless banana bread and sugarless chocolate cookies were not he hit I’d hoped they’d be. 🙂 But I do find that removing head hunger benefits the budget greatly. (And for the record, I do still think that a slice of cake for a birthday and such is part of celebrating! It’s just that our daily consumption of sugar has gotten way out of hand.)
- 10 Meals: I am loving the switch to a simple two-week rotation meal plan. There’s plenty of freedom for switching things around or modifying meals depending upon time constraints or what we feel like eating, but it saves so much time and money just simplifying down to 10 basic, healthy, delicious dinners.
Overall, I’m just finding myself drawn to the idea of a simple lifestyle which makes the occasional coffee or sweet actually a treat. So many things that used to be considered luxuries are now considered necessities. I read that after you have eliminated sugar for a month, all foods begin to taste better because you “re-sensitized” your tastebuds to the taste of real food. The bombarding of sugar in our food desensitizes our tastes so that “natural” foods taste unappealing. After doing this for almost two months I’m finding this very true.
Makes me wonder if we can do this with our lives as well. In some ways we’ve “desensitized” ourselves to the beautiful gifts of life because we’ve indulged ourselves, numbing our souls. Having less, whether it’s sugar or stuff, can make us appreciate the sweet treats of life more than ever. I haven’t mastered simplicity in either of those areas, but I’m sure enjoying the journey. (Oh, for the sake of full-disclosure, I did have to take out an extra $50 this month to stock up when I found a sale on whole chickens and organic apples for applesauce. So yes, I go over-budget when need be; that’s what’s so nice about frugality–gives us the wiggle room when we need it.)
Happy Friday. Thanks for reading.
F is for Food, new kinds (and a Frugal Friday deal)
First, in the spirit of Frugal Friday check this out: Groupon is offering a great deal on passes to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Two adults and 2 kids can get in for only $25. CLICK HERE to get the deal. We went last summer and it was awesome for the kids. I don’t think it’s worth the full ticket price, but definitely worth $25 for the whole fam, especially if you have any marine biology enthusiasts like I do. 🙂
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Second, after writing this post, two questions have surfaced quite a bi:, “What then ARE you eating??” and “Can I get the link to that article?” 🙂 LOTS and yes. Here we go:
:: I’m eating lots of meat, veggies, beans, nuts, and some fruit and dairy.
It’s actually way easier than it seems at first. Yes, I’ve had to make the switch to being a tad more carnivorous than would be my natural inclination, but actually it’s great. I’m going to include our 10-rotation meal plan. (I recently switched to this to simplify meal planning.) So for example, sample day:
- Breakfast: Coffee with whole milk along with two scrambled eggs and a slice of turkey bacon (yum! Kids still eat oatmeal but they always steal bites of my eggs and bacon).
- Snacks: Slices of cheese, carrot sticks, a bowl of peas, sometimes an apple, or a big spoonful of peanut butter (or just leftovers, I love leftovers).
- Lunch: Crockpot beans (black, pinto, white or garbanzo) and cheese or leftovers from dinner or roasted chicken with sauteed green beans.
- Dinner: Here are our 10 grain & sugar free dinners.
1. Spaghetti casserole: This is really just spaghetti sauce, lots of added tomatos and veggies, grass-fed beef, onions, garlic, etc. then put it in a casserole dish layered like a lasagna: sauce, and then either mozzerella or ricotta cheese, sprinkle mozzerella or parmesan on top and bake until bubbly. Yum! (I’ll make a bit of whole wheat pasta on the side for the kids if they want)
2. Roasted chicken and veggies: simple, just a whole roasted chicken in the crockpot with sauteed green beans, beans, carrots, whatever veggies I have on hand. (Let kids have a slice of homemade bread after they eat their protein and veggies)
3. Bacon, onion and lentil skillet: Ok this is SO delicious, and it’s even better if you make it and then let it bake or sit in the fridge and eat it the next day. I add frozen spinach to it and ten top it with grated parmesan. Use the chicken stock from yesterday’s chicken.
4. Thai chicken Saute: I just skip the rice for myself. Use the roast chicken and stock from earlier in the week.
5. Beans and cheese/rice: Basic, crockpot beans. Now I sprout mine, by soaking and rinsing them for a few days before cooking in the crockpot. Kids eat with rice and cheese, I eat with cheese. Yum!
6. Meatballs with veggies: I haven’t actually made these yet since starting this because I’m still figuring out how to make them without any sugar or oats (my recipe calls for both). But it should be pretty easy to figure out. Serve with beans or peas or carrots or whatever.
7. Roasted Garlic & Butternut Squash Cassoulet: (leave out the two slices of bread) This recipe will need to adjust in spring with spring veggies instead of butternut squash. But any dish with beans, some sort of squash and a little bit of uncured turkey bacon will be great. Parmesan makes everything delicious, right?
8. Salmon and veggies: Basic salmon either baked or pan-cooked or on the BBQ (my fav). Douse with lemon juice, salt, pepper, some crushed garlic and a tad bit of mayo, wrap it up in a little foil packet and bake or stick on the BBQ. YUM! Serve with beans or peas or carrots or red potatoes or whatever.
9. Tortilla Soup: No recipe for this because it’s whatever you have on hand. Beef or chicken or no meat, beans soaked and cooked, taco seasoning, shredded squash, onions, garlic, carrots chopped, tomatos, cilantro, corn, whatever. Top with cheese, can’t beat it.
10. Vegetable Soup or Salad: Depending upon the season, this could be the super easy lentil vegetable soup (again, just make with whatever’s on hand and use the chicken stock from last week). OR, during the summer months a big salad with whatever veggies are on hand.
TREAT: (Because there has to be one, right?) Whole milk warmed up with a pinch of Stevia and a teaspoon of baking cocoa. It’s delicious!
:: Here’s the article link. Enjoy!
What about the budget? Thoughts on that next week.
Happy Friday! Week’s end with thanks tomorrow…
Appetites and Masters
The blessing and curse of having a rather *ahem* transparent blog is that my changes, foibles and whoopsy daisies are out there for all to see. But hey, that’s my choice, right? And what’s the point of doing this thing together if not for learning from every success and failure?
So we recently had an exciting (for me) change in our household that totally rocked my Simple Diet and Food Stamp Challenge habits. You see for almost 20 years I’ve struggled with my skin. It is the common thread that’s been with me from 13 to almost 31. Ugh. I’ve had it all from little blemishes here and there to horrible cystic acne in high school that brought me to tears. I’ve run the gamut of philosophies on it from thinking that it was God’s judgment on me for being vain, to thinking that it was just my lot in life, to–in the past year–listening to some dear friends and actually trying to find solutions. But nothing worked. And before you start listing off things, “Did you try such-and-such face wash…?” Yes, I did. All of it. 20 years of trying.
So finally a couple weeks ago I read an article and knew it was right on. It was one of those “aha!” moments when everything becomes clear. The gist of it: The source of acne was carbs. Ugh. Sugar and grains. You see for all my health-consciousness and frugality we were eating lots (and lots and lots) of whole grains, mostly organic and all cooked from scratch, but still tons of carbs. It never occurred to me that living a virtually meat-free diet most of my adult life could have contributed to the mess on my face. I’ve always been fit and have lots of energy and feel great so I never dreamed something was askew with my diet, but of course it makes sense now–I wasn’t healthy on my face!
So I jumped off a cliff and completely quit eating all sugar and grains. And I kid you not, it was almost overnight that my skin radically changed. It’s been a week and a half now and it is so crazy. The average joe might not be able to tell yet because I still have a lot of scarring from before, but it has been absolutely clear since stopping sugar and grains.
I’m convinced. Is this the most important thing in the world? No. But now that I’m researching more and more it’s amazing to see how many health issues are tied to sugar and overuse of grains, especially wheat. And when you consider that I was a bread-baker extraordinaire with a sweet tooth to boot, no wonder there were issues.
Here’s the coolest thing. Not trying to overspiritualize this, but this morning in church my pastor was talking about how when we feed our appetites we don’t actually diminish them we enlarge them. Our appetites grow based on what we feed them. For 30 years I’ve fed my physical appetite bread and sugar (because, let’s face it, it gives us a quick and easy rush and fills our tummies for pennies!) and no wonder that’s what I craved. And I can’t lie, the first 3 days without any sugar or grains (I didn’t even have fruit) were so hard. I can only imagine how hard it is to quit smoking or drinking or come off a drug addiction. A sugar and carb addiction is serious business! But afterwards there was this crazy freedom feeling, this feeling like that of 1 Corinthians 6:12 when Paul says,
“”Everything is permissible for me”–but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me”–but I will not be mastered by anything.
I will not be mastered by anything. Think about that for a second. I will not be mastered. There will always be something that wants to master us. Whether it be our physical appetites or our appetite for physical comfort or control or praise or status or whatever. And while all things are permissible, not everything is beneficial. And for sure things are not beneficial when they begin to be our master.
We were created for ONE master and One only.
Anything that we think we cannot live without is threatening to become our master. Certainly not everyone needs to quit eating sugar and grains (maybe sugar!), for some they are perfectly fine. But it does make me wonder how much of today’s disease and sorrow stems from our being mastered by something other than God. Our smoking, our drinking, our overeating, our control, our anger, our manipulation, our moodiness, our anxiety. Anything that we run to, that we escape to, that we bow down to to make us feel ok–all those things are slowly but surely rising up to become masters over us. Little gods. Idols.
How do we know if we’re serving another master?
The fruit.
The fruit of my “master” if you will was some disease on my face. But what other kinds of dis-ease are present in our lives? The fruit of serving other masters will always be sorrow, anxiety, unrest.
Every appetite we feed will grow.
When we sow to the flesh, we reap to the flesh. When we feed our flesh, we reap more flesh. When we feed the appetites of our spirit, we develop a greater and greater appetite for God. For His love, His presence, His will.
And the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
We’re always feeding some appetite and we’re always serving someone. Which appetite will we feed and which will we starve? And to whom will we choose to bow?
That’s what I’m asking myself today. Thanks for reading along.