Cutting down the cost of milk

Lots of stores are now offering great deals on milk, but it still cost a lot more than I would like to spend. While I still buy some when I have room in the budget for it and am at the store, I mostly use powdered milk. This is especially helpful for when I am trying to do once a month grocery shopping. I simply do not have the space to freeze milk so am limited in what I can buy from the store. So powdered milk it is!

Okay, I know a bunch of you just got grossed out but give me a chance to explain. My family and I are not huge milk drinkers but we do use it a ton in cooking and baking. I especially go through milk when I make our yogurt (stay tuned for a post of that). By buying powdered milk very inexpensively either in a box at typical grocery stores or in the bulk section at my favorite store in the world, Winco, I can always have it on hand. It is very easy to make up a half gallon in two minutes and you cannot taste any difference if you are using it for cooking. The kids and I even use it in our cereal. I do not drink milk so I cannot vouch for the taste on it's own, but I am guessing true milk lovers will find a difference in taste.

Give it a try and let me know what you think! This has seriously saved me so much money in the last year. It is one of my favorite frugal tips.

Introduction to living more with less

After much prayer and encouragement from my mentor, Pam, and my husband, Jim, I decided to start this blog to see how God wants to use it. I have been surprised at the reactions of others to my use of coupons and other things I do to save money. To me, many of these things have always seemed like common sense or just what I have always done because my family did it or I learned it along the way. In fact, if anything, I think of how much more I want to be doing. But the more I look at other blogs and talk to women in my community, the more I realize that frugality is not automatic but needs to be learned. And it needs to be taught which I am hoping this blog will help do. I am by no means the expert I would like to be yet, but I have learned a few things and am daily learning more. Feel free to join in with me on this blog.

A few disclaimers, or I guess, just things to throw out there.

• There is a big difference between being cheap and being frugal. Being cheap is spending the least amount while being frugal is getting the most value. While these terms usually refer to money, I think we could apply them to all our resources ie time, energy, resources, etc.
• As I said above, there is always more one can do to save whether it is time, money, resources, etc. It is easy to come down on yourself and look at all that you are not doing when really you need to celebrate all you are doing. Every little step is more than you were doing before. Just take it one step at a time.
• You are the only expert on what works for you and your family. Some of what I post or the blogs you can link to from here will have great tips you can use while others things may sound great but just don't end up being feasible. Or you may even know right away it will not work. That is fine! I am just here to tell you what I am learning. Take what you like to use as is or to tweak or feel free to ignore things!
• Don't spend money to save it! You may be able to get a ton of stuff at CVS for twenty bucks, but that does not make any sense if you do not have the twenty bucks to spend. So evaluate your budget and know what you have and then don't spend more than that!
  

I think that sums things up fairly well for now. I will start laying out some simple steps such as how to collect and organize coupons, how to "CVS" and get other free items combining sales and coupons, how to stockpile and more in the next few posts. Stay tuned for lots of exciting things! I will also get some links up in next few days for some blogs that have been very inspiring for me in my journey to living more with less.