Menu Planning to Save Money (31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking)

It's day 3 of 31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking!  If you missed either of the first days, you can go back and catch up right here.

Fridays during this challenge will be all about frugal living.  It's easy to get careless and skip over things that could be saving your family money, so I've added a few things to this challenge that you can do quickly and easily to help shave down your family's budget.

Ready?

Today's Challenge:   Make a menu plan.

Menu planning is one of those things I always tell myself I can skip, but I always regret it when I do!  We go back and forth to the store to pick up missing ingredients, or we snack on junk because I do the 5 o'clock scramble and everybody's hungry while I try to come up with some type of meal.  It really only takes a few minutes to make a menu plan.  It doesn't have to be complicated.  I like to use Build A Menu‘s service (it's great for special diets too like gluten free and THM!), but you can use a piece of notebook paper and a pen.  Look in the fridge and see what you already have.  Write down any meals that use those ingredients.  Then write down a few more meals that your family likes.  Now, get another scrap of paper, and write down all the ingredients for the other meals you just wrote down.  And you're done.  How hard was that?  Why do we skip it and act like it has to be done some fancy way?  (Granted, you can save even more money by taking a little more time, but you're not saving any money if you don't do it at all!  If you want something a little more involved but still quick and easy to do, I highly recommend checking out Build a Menu.)

 

Now go get that list made!  And while you're at it, save it.  Do it again for the next 3 weeks, and you've got a month's worth of meal plans!  Make one big menu, and one big shopping list, and you can re-use it month after month!

Today's Instagram challenge: Post a picture of this week's menu plan!  Use the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker to encourage other members of this community!  (Follow me here.)

Time Management 101 (31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking)

If you missed the introduction as to what this is all about, you can read the whole thing here.

In a nutshell, this is a series for women who are easily overwhelmed (me!)  We don't have time to do things perfectly, so we don't do them at all.

During this series I'll be giving you one simple task to complete each day, and we are going to do it together!  Anything we do, no matter how imperfectly, will bless our family more than doing nothing at all!

Are you ready for the first challenge?

The first challenge is the hardest.  I promise.  If you can do this, the rest of the challenges will be a piece of cake.

But it's also the most important.

We are going to get our act together regarding time management.

Part of the reason you're feeling overwhelmed is because you're trying to cram too many things into your day, or you're wasting time (and possibly don't even realize it), or both.

If you're tired of having a messy house, feeling like a failure as a wife and mom, and discouraged that you're not finding time to cook healthy meals, you need to manage your time.

Not too long ago, I got up and looked at the dark circles under my eyes in the mirror and said to myself, “I feel like I'm living paycheck-to-paycheck when it comes to my time.”  In other words, I felt stretched too thin and it was stressing me out.

The word “paycheck” struck a chord in the recesses of memory, and around came the word “budget” to the front of my mind.  “Budget.  Yes…A time budget.  I need to tell my time where to go instead of letting time be my master.”  A few more seconds and the lightbulb stopped flickering and came on in full force.

“Tell Your Time!  That's right!”

You see, Tell Your Time is an eBook that changed my life.  At least it did a while back.  I had been praying for some solution to the very problem I just described.  The very next day this eBook went on sale, and the minute I opened it, I knew it was the answer to my prayer.  In a couple short hours, I had been guided clearly into determining my priorities, what things I needed to cut out of my life altogether, and where to fit it all into my day.  It changed my life — until my schedule and priorities shifted a little.  Then life got out of whack again.

Thankfully, all it took to get back on track was another couple hours, and boom!  I had a smoothly running schedule again.

I've put this challenge first because just by completing this, you will reduce a huge amount of your overwhelm right away.  You will see that everything you need to do can fit into your day!

I promise the other challenges will not take this long, but you cannot afford to skip this one.

Today's challenge: Purchase Tell Your Time and work your way through it.  (Yes, that is a referral link, and no, I am not just trying to make money off this post.)  In fact, I feel that this assignment is so important, that I'm going to give you a link that is not an affiliate link — right here.  If you can't get your act together and just can't seem to fit everything into your day, do not skip this assignment.  It's only $2.99, and worth every single penny.  Put the kids to bed early and work your way through the exercises in the book – it won't take you more than a couple hours.  In the morning you will feel the stress lifted off your shoulders as you know exactly where you're going and how you're going to get there!

Before  you go, let me leave you with this thought: “If not now, when?”  If you're not going to get your act together right now, when will you do it?  Stop saying “I don't have time” and just do it!

Now go get busy with your challenge!

amzn_assoc_tracking_id = “imperfect08-20”;
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = “manual”;
amzn_assoc_ad_type = “smart”;
amzn_assoc_marketplace = “amazon”;
amzn_assoc_region = “US”;
amzn_assoc_design = “enhanced_links”;
amzn_assoc_asins = “B005F0H7BK”;
amzn_assoc_placement = “adunit”;
amzn_assoc_linkid = “4a1b5346bb41b17458bc3f98c600c5a3”;

Today's Instagram challenge: Post a picture of your daily schedule!  Use the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker to encourage other members of this community!  (Follow me here.)

31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking

I didn't name this blog Imperfect Homemaker for nothing.  Before I started blogging, I enjoyed reading other blogs, but often would walk away discouraged.  On one blog I would see these wonderful ideas for organizing and decorating, on another I would see all the things I should be doing for my husband and children, on yet another I would see so many healthy changes I needed to make for our family.

I was overwhelmed!

And it paralyzed me.  I couldn't do anything because I didn't know where to start.

So I created this blog as a place where I don't pretend to have it all together.  If I post a recipe or craft, it's because I found something easy.  If I can do it, I know you can too!  If I post some spiritual encouragement, it's because the Lord revealed a weakness in my own life that had to be addressed.  If I post something about cleaning or organizing, it's because I'm desperately trying to figure out how to keep my own home clean and organized!

A couple years ago, I had a theme on the blog for an entire year called “Anti-Procrastination Year”.  I challenged myself to do one thing every day that needed to be done but always got shoved to the bottom of the pile, and I blogged about it. In spite of simultaneously battling chronic fatigue, it was one the most productive years I have ever had!

But it's so easy to fall back into the rut of overwhelm.  Of constantly saying “I need to do {fill-in-the-blank}, but I just don't have time right now.”

The truth is, I do have time.  I just don't have time to do it the way I'd like.  I don't have time to organize every cupboard in my kitchen, so I leave them all a mess.  I don't have time to prepare the coolest craft ever for my kids, so I don't do a craft with them at all.  You get the idea.

I have a feeling I'm not the only woman out there with these struggles.  No — I know I'm not the only one.  I've seen your emails and your comments on Facebook.  And you are not alone.

So here's what we're going to do.  We're going to overcome our overwhelm!

We're going to serve our families, even when we don't have time to do everything exactly like the picture-perfect (unrealistic) ideals in our heads!

I'll be giving you one simple task to complete each day, and we are going to do it together!  Anything we do, no matter how imperfectly, will bless our family more than doing nothing at all!

The  challenges will be in the following areas:

• Sunday – Your walk with the Lord
• Monday – Loving your husband
• Tuesday – Taking care of your own and your family's health
• Wednesday – Ministering to your children
• Thursday – Taking care of yourself
• Friday – Managing your finances
• Saturday – Housekeeping

Be sure to subscribe to email updates so you won't miss them!  You can customize your subscription to only receive the areas that interest you.  (During this series, the homeschooling category will include anything at all having to do with kids, so be sure to check that box if you need encouragement for your mama heart.)

Ready to join me?  Sign up below!

I'll be adding the link to each day's challenge to this page. If you happen to miss a post, just click the “31 Days of Imperfect Homemaking” button on the sidebar and it will bring you here!

Challenge #1: Time Management 101

Challenge #2: Meal Planning to Save Money

Challenge #3: Deep Cleaning Doesn't Have to Be Hard

Challenge #4: The Most Important Thing of All

Challenge #5: Showing Love to the One You Love

Challenge #6: One Easy Way to Boost Your Health

Challenge #7: Loving the Little People

Challenge #8: Use Your Brain

Challenge #9: Simple Ways to Save Money

Challenge #10: Quick and Easy Decluttering

Challenge #11: Scripture Memorization

Challenge #12: The Way to a Man's Heart

Challenge #13: One Step at a Time

Challenge #14: Who Cares if You're Not Crafty?

Challenge #15: Taking Care of Yourself

Challenge #16: Shop Ahead and Save

Challenge #17: Throw it Away

Bonus! Follow along on Instagram with the hashtag #imperfecthomemaker and encourage other members of this community throughout the challenge!

Pumpkin Recipes Made with Real Food Ingredients

I cooked up a bunch of pumpkin over the weekend, and I knew I needed to check with some of my favorite healthy living bloggers to see what they had in the way of real food pumpkin recipes.  Once again, they did not disappoint!

Here are some of the links they gave me:

Beverages:

Real Food Pumpkin Spice Latte

Superfood Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Breakfast:

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pancakes

Grain Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Main Dishes:

3 Healthy Main Dish Pumpkin Recipes

 (Crab and Pumpkin Quiche, Stuffed Pumpkin or Acorn Squash, Autumn Stuffed Pumpkin)

Pumpkin Soup Recipes

 (Roasted Pumpkin and Butternut Squash Soup, Apple Pumpkin Bisque, Autumn Pumpkin Stew)

Snacks:

Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Healthy Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Recipe

Desserts:

Pumpkies (GF, DF, EF, NF)

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie Panna Cotta

Gluten Free Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Pie Mini Tarts (Gluten Free)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm pretty sure I'm going after those Pumpkies first!  Which recipe are you going to try?

(If you missed the apple recipes, you can check those out here.)

Teaching Our Children About Broken Fellowship

Guest post by contributor Andrea

Last year when I was struggling as a mother of four kids under the age of four (including newborn twins), a dear friend gave me a book called “Loving the Little Years” by Rachel Jankovic.  That little book has been read several times now, as well as the sequel, “Fit to Burst”.  I love these books because they are short, and the chapters are short.  They are random thoughts on motherhood in no particular order.  I could usually finish a chapter while nursing the babies.  It is chock full of humor, practical suggestions, encouragement, and lessons on motherhood – specifically in mothering little people.

Perhaps one of the reasons I “connected” with the author so well is that our children fall into the same birth order, two toddlers, then twins (and now she has two other children).  So many times I wondered if Rachel had been sitting in my living room watching me mother my children, and then gone home to write a chapter about it!

One of the biggest things I took away from this book was how to teach my children to restore fellowship.  I’m sure you’ve been there – the kids are fighting over that same toy, again.  One child gets mad and hits his sister, while the sister spouts off unkind names to her brother.  And there you are, trying to figure out who had the toy first, who did what, and who gets the discipline.

I am always frustrated when this breaks out in our home!  {And it happens quite often…just saying.}  But now I approach my teaching and discipline from a different perspective.  Instead of dealing with who had the toy first, we talk instead about broken fellowship.  You see, my children had both decided that the toy was more important than the fellowship with their sibling.  They assigned more value to the item that to the relationship.  They don’t realize they are doing that, but it provides a great opportunity to counsel them about sin and relationships.

We now go through questions something like this:

What is more important, your brother, or that toy? 

What did you act like was the most important? 

What should we do to show your brother he is most important? 

How can you restore the fellowship? 

It takes several counseling sessions to help your children understand the concept of fellowship.  You want them to understand that relationships (people) are more important than things.  If the rift in the fellowship is really bad, I do take away the toy.  I explain that it would be better to throw the toy away than to have it in our house if we are going to break fellowship because of it.  And when push comes to shove, the kids usually find a way to share the toy rather than have it thrown in the garbage.

To restore fellowship, the kids need to say something like, “I’m sorry I wasn’t kind and I broke fellowship with you.  Will you please forgive me?”  Then they hug, and make-up.

This has not only been very helpful in solving fights, but it is also a valuable opportunity to teach them about the Gospel.  Every one of us is born into broken fellowship with God.  The only way to restore fellowship is to ask Him to forgive our sins through the blood of Jesus, and to come into our life and be our Savior.  Even as Christians, we experience broken fellowship with our Lord on a daily basis every time we sin.  But the fellowship is easy to restore when we ask for forgiveness.

Every time my children my children experience broken fellowship with each other, I get to illustrate their broken fellowship with God.  I am praying that one day soon my oldest will understand more completely and choose to accept Christ and the restored fellowship He offers.

15 Fall Leaf Crafts for Kids

My son is enthralled with the beauty of the changing colors of leaves.  Every day he asks me if we can collect some leaves and make a craft.  The problem is, I'm not exactly the crafty type of mom.

So I set out to find some crafts we could do using the leaves we collected.  And I found some GREAT ideas!

Fall Leaf Watercolors

Negative Space Fall Leaf Painting

Fall Leaf Rubbing Activity

Falling Leaves Craft

Finger Painted Fall Leaf Garland

Fall Leaf Wreath

Fall Leaf Sewing Activity

Fall Leaf Art

Fall Leaf Collage

Easy Fall Leaf Tree

Fall Leaf Man Craft

Fall Maple Leaf Globe Craft

Simple Fall Leaf Collage

 Fall Leaf Art

Fall Leaf Suncatchers