New Year Resolutions

I know this post seems a bit late. However, I was just not ready to start all of it. Holiday activities really got to me this past year, so I needed a few days to recoup. But I’m back! Anyhow, here are my resolutions (or rather, Challenges) for the year of 2010.

1. Post 5 to 7 blog posts a week.- This is number 1 on my list for a reason ;)

2. $5/person/week grocery challenge- I’m still working out the kinks on this but I really think I can accomplish this.

3. Homestead skill a month challenge- This is a challenge off of Frugal Village. I will expand on this at a later date.

4. 2010 homemade Christmas- I want and all homemade Christmas for 2010. I will be documenting my journey.

5. Fling 2010 Things in 2010 Challenge- If you hadn’t noticed the overall theme of my resolutions is simplifying.. this will help with that.

6. 2010 sewing challenge- I really want to learn how to sew more complicated items while my grandma is still around to share her knowledge.

7. 2010 needlearts challenge- This will go along mainly with #4.

8. pantry freezer challenge- This goes along with #2. We have 2 full freezers. I want to control what we are eating, and learn to expand my homemade skills.

9. 20 wishes challenge- expanded later

10. Save $1000 by March 15th- for tax purposes

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Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Really? Meatloaf? Actually this is really good! We usually have it a few times a month. Super easy too! 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup ketchup 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef {I use 1 pound} 3/4 cup milk 2 eggs {I only use 1 egg} 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs {I usually use pretzels, I never seem to buy saltines} Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan. 2. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. 3. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear. {source} What's for Dinner tonight in your house?

Why are you frugal?

Frugality has always been in my life. I spent my summers as a child with my grandma in a very very small town about 150 miles away from where I lived the rest of the year. My grandpa is/was a farmer, had cows, and a diesel mechanic. My grandma was a farmer’s wife. I learned how to garden, sew, cook, move pipe, change oil, and learned how to drive on a tractor. At home during the school year none of these tasks were put to use. We lived in a suburb of a city with nearly 50,000 people, we didn’t have a garden, we had a dishwasher, etc. So at the end of the school year I was ecstatic to get to go my grandma’s house! I loved being there; I loved the fruits of my labor there. I felt as though I had a purpose. Fast forward to 5 years ago. I graduated high school, moved to Phoenix, got into a heap of money issues, wanted everything in sight, forgot everything my grandma ever taught me and then I moved back to Idaho. About a year and a half later I came to the realization that something had to...

USDA National Grocery Averages

Sometimes it takes the simplest thing to change your life, for me it was one of these reports. I have come across a few of these since joining forums a few years ago. The first year I saw one we were in the moderate to liberal plan. I was just coming to the realization that if we kept living the way we were, that we would be homeless. We both had full time jobs, 2 vehicles with 2 car payments, just about the only thing we had going for us was that our apartment was pretty cheap for this area. A lady posted this report and I just about died. I have never realized that we spent that much money eating out. I went into super frugal mode. We went from eating out at least once a day, if not 2 times a day to almost homemade everything and no eating out. Looking back this was honestly one of those “turning points” in my life. So I want to share it with you too! Check out the USDA National Grocery Average Report I’m curious to see where everyone lands! Where does your family fall?

Frugal Farmhouse

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