What saves YOUR sanity when menu planning?

Michelle, over at Money Saving Madness, wrote a great post today about how she saves her sanity by doing themed dinners each week...

Go check it out. Pretty cool idea! =) Makes it easy, for sure!

I try to do something similar. Being Vegetarian, sometimes it's hard to find variety. When I'm planning my menu each week, I aim to pick out an Italian, Mexican, and Indian meal. That covers at least 3 nights. Then I usually go for either some sort of salad or sandwich, and also one casserole.

When you think about your menu in this way, I think it makes menu-planning much easier!

What About You: What are your thoughts? Do you have any tips for making menu planning easier?

Worth Reading: Stages Of Couponing...

I love this post that Pocket Your Dollars did about the stages of coupon zealots! SO true!

Thought you'd enjoy reading! =)

What About You: Agree with this blog post she did? Have you experienced this? I know I have!

Worth Reading Round-Up!

I haven't done a Worth Reading Round-Up in quite a while, but I've read some really awesome posts lately, so I thought I'd pass them along! Here are some of my very faves:

Alyssa, over at Kingdom First Mom, wrote a great post on What Frugal Looks Like. I think it speaks volumes on how today's culture stereotypes and views frugal people. I'll admit that I tend to do it myself! When I see a lady dressed in really nice clothing and fancy jewelry, I immediately jump to, "Rich, spoiled, not frugal-minded." But who am I to judge? She may have gotten everything she's wearing for next-to-nothing! Alyssa ends her post with one of my favorite Bible verses about God looking at the heart, rather than external appearance. None of us are perfect in this world. We are deteriorating every day, but we can continue to make our hearts beautiful! We should seek to banish pre-conceived notions and judgments about people. I am friends with many frugal-minded people, and let me tell you...they are all completely different - home school moms, hip college students, military wives, working moms, city girls, small town simple-living women, etc.

Does couponing stress you out sometimes? Honestly, even after doing this for a while, my heart still races at times and I get all worked up over couponing. It happens to all of us from time to time, no matter how experienced we are! Crystal, over at The Thrifty Mama, encourages us to Not Have A Coupon Conniption! She gives us 7 ways to find peace and deal with coupon burnout. I found it very helpful and encouraging, and I'm sure you will too!

Is being frugal really worth it? Jennifer, over at Saving & Giving, sheds some light on this subject. I wholeheartedly agree with her on this one. Great post! Be sure to check it out.

Bringing children along on your shopping adventures can be very difficult, but unfortunately circumstances of life make it inevitable at times. This is one thing I don't have to worry about for the time being, but I'm sure many of you do! Jessica, over at Life As Mom, gives you some excellent tips on How To Survive Shopping With Children In Tow! I'm sure you will find it very helpful.

Think you can't eat healthy and be frugal? I definitely beg to differ, and so does Catherine over at Kitchen Stewardship! Check out her post to find some helpful tips for Healthy Eating On A Budget! I definitely agree with everything she says in this post, and many of her tips I already practice myself. =)

Do you find it difficult to lose weight when money is tight and you are on a budget? I know I definitely do at times! Andrea from Mommy Snacks did a fabulous guest post on Money Saving Mom's site about this subject. She gives you Six Tips For Losing Weight On A Budget. I was definitely inspired, and I think you will be too!

I hope you enjoy reading some of these! Want to see more great worth-reading round-ups? Go HERE to see them all! There are some great bloggers out there!!!

What About You: Which of these was your favorite blog post?

Worth Reading: A Few Helpful Posts!

In the past day or so, I have come across a few really helpful blog posts. I thought I would pass them along!

Ever wondered what time of year you can get an item at rock-bottom price? The Thrifty Divas have put together a really helpful post that outlines the best time of the year (by month) to buy different items. Go check it out! One of the top items on January's list? Sheets and Towels!

Couponers United posted the tentative schedule for coupon inserts for 2010. Kind of nice to know what to be looking for each week. I try to post the "Coupon Insert Preview" every week, but in case I slip up, you can have this bookmarked. ;)

There is a really awesome moneymaker deal on Bayer Meters at Walgreens this month. It's a lot to take in, so I thought I would just send you on over to Common Sense With Money to read more about it. This is great if you want to build your stash of Register Rewards (to use at Walgreens, or possibly Publix)...or if you know somebody in need of diabetes supplies. Just recently I was thankful to be able to bless somebody with all of the glucose meters I had stashed away. You never know when you'll be able to donate these kinds of things, or help somebody out! That's why I buy it any time it's free, whether I need it or not!

Worth Reading Round-Up: Christmas Edition

(Photo courtesy of Happy Housewife, Living Life)

Here are some of the best Christmas blog posts I have read lately. Very helpful, fun, and interesting! Be sure to check them out for yourself!

• Four great bloggers teamed up to do a series called "Beautiful Christmas On A Budget." There are some really great ideas! My 2 favorites were homemade candy canes and decorating your home for pennies. Go check out some of the awesome advice!
• Six other great bloggers did a series called "Christmas In The Kitchen" with some really yummy recipe ideas! Be sure to print your favorites to try out in your own kitchen!
  
• Alyssa, over at Kingdom First Mom, did a great post on what the Bible says about money. I think it's really important to keep our priorities straight during the Christmas season, especially in regards to money.
  
• The Happy Housewife shares some of her "Frugal Christmas Traditions" to get you in the spirit without breaking the bank! Who says you have to spend money in order to enjoy the season and do fun activities?
• Myra, over at Happy Housewife Living Life, shares a really fun idea: Make your own candy cane chandelier! How cool!
• Lauren, over at Heavenly Homemakers, has a great step by step tutorial on how to make your own simple homemade angel ornament. Wow! So nifty (and thrifty!)
• Crystal, over at Money Saving Mom, has a few great posts about celebrating a simple Christmas. Check these out : Homemade Wrapping Paper, Homemade Hot Drink Mixes, and Homemade Gift Bows (from recycled magazines).

Enjoy reading! =) Hope you're able to use some of these ideas in your gift-giving, baking, and Christmas fun!

Worth Reading Round-Up: Holiday Edition

Here are a few helpful blog posts I have read in the past week or so:

Do you have any December magazines lying around your house? If so, go visit Nicole's Nickels to see if it might have a useful coupon in it. She tells you what coupons are in what magazines this month, as well as the pages you can find them on! So helpful, especially right now when everybody is doing so much shopping!

Are you looking to buy any gift cards for people on your Christmas list this season? If so, go visit Mommies With Cents and Who Said Nothing In Life Is Free? Both of these bloggers have put together great lists of all the "Holiday gift card offers" out there right now. You know...the ones where you buy a gift card for $20 and get a free $5 gift card thrown in there? Go check it out! There are some really great ones!

Mmmm...I can already smell the peppermint in the air! I love Peppermint treats during Christmas time. Couponing To Disney has put together a great list of all the yummy peppermint Christmas treats that various restaurants, coffee shops, and stores are offering this season! Just for fun! =)

Fiddledeedee Mom just posted her 4th installment of "Planning Ahead For The Holidays." I told you about this a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to mention it again, because it is a great series!

Amanda @ A Few Short Cuts did a great guest post on Once A Month Mom's blog. She gives some advice on how to make and give homemade Christmas gifts and keep things simple. She even has a yummy recipe for Hot Chocolate!

Don't forget about my Simplifying Christmas series. Part 3 is coming!

Want to see more great worth-reading round-ups? Go HERE to see them all! There are some great bloggers out there!!!

Worth Reading Round-Up

Here are some posts by other bloggers that I have enjoyed recently and wanted to pass along:

Sarah @ Fiddledeedee has a great series going about how to plan ahead for the Holidays. It offers some great advice and tips for getting through the Christmas season stress-free!

Heather @ Freebies 4 Mom has a great post about how to handle coupon rejection in a polite and courteous way, so as not to give couponers a bad name but to get your point across at the same time! Go check it out!

Shannon @ For The Mommas challenges her readers to stay debt-free this Holiday season by following a simple step by step plan to cutting down your gifts list, keeping it simple, sticking to your budget, and planning ahead. Go read "Make a list. Check it Thrice!" Very helpful!

Enjoy reading! =)

Meat Stock-Up Prices

Shannon, over at For The Mommas, has an excellent post about what prices you should shoot for when deciding whether or not to stock up on meat.

Even though I no longer buy meat, I can definitely remember the importance of making sure to stock up on meats when they were at their lowest price! I know I had target prices for every type of meat, and Shannon has a great list for you to check out! I agree with all of her prices.

Buying meat at its lowest price, and freezing it to last a long time, is one of the biggest keys in saving money on groceries. To see more tips on saving money at the grocery store, check out my "Supermarket Secrets" 5-part series!

Pumpkins...

A while back I recommended Jennifer's article about making your own pumpkin puree. Very helpful!

Here are a couple more pumpkin articles worth reading:

Crystal, over at The Thrifty Mama, has a 3-part series entitled "Make the Most of Your Pumpkin." You can go here to view Part One, which explains how she makes her pumpkin puree every year. Whereas Jennifer makes her puree in the oven, Crystal makes hers on the stove top! Two different ways to make it! Awesome!

Amy, over at The Finer Things, has an incredible collection of pumpkin recipes! Go here to check them out!

Have fun cooking, pureeing, and baking your pumpkins!!! =)

Worth Reading...

I have read some interesting blog posts lately, and I thought I would pass some of them along to you as one list. =) Here you go!

Kaley, over at Cha Ching On A Shoestring, is doing a great series of posts on "Living Large." You can view the first one here. I like it, because it helps put life and frugality in a nice perspective, reminds me to prioritze what is truly important, and calls me back to simplicity at its finest.

Jenny, over at Southern Savers, has an excellent post about Coupon Burnout. Whether you're brand new to coupons or have been couponing for 20 years, it is very common to experience the "deal hunting and coupon burnout." I get it often! This post is so true, and I find myself needing to take some of the advice myself!

Did you know there is a canned pumpkin shortage this year? It's true! I'm definitely seeing the effects of it down here in Florida. I couldn't find it at my grocery store, and when I went to Walmart, they had about 10 cans left. Crazy! Usually, there are shelves full of it. Jennifer, over at Getting Ahead, has a great post on how to make your own canned pumpkin! Enjoy!

Alyssa, over at Keeping the Kingdom First, had her sister Jessica do a guest post on her experience in another third world country. The post is entitled "Perspective: A Journey to Nepal." I am a huge activist for social justice on a global level, and I really liked this post. I firmly believe in "living simply so that others may simply live." It's important to keep the proper perspective - a global perspective. We are all human beings. Jessica's post echoes this truth. Go here to read all about her experience, and to see how other suffering people must live in this world. I am sure that it will cause you to challenge your lifestyle, appreciate how much you have, and consider ways to give more. One of the most important aspects of couponing and saving money is that we are enabled to give more away to others.

Crystal, over at The Thrifty Mama, did a great series of posts on "Thrifty Tips to Reduce Your Heating Bill This Winter." There are some really creative tips - definitely worth reading! Go here to view Part 3, and there is a link within that post to see Parts 1 and 2. (Also, she did a great tutorial on how to make your own solar heater. Check it out here!)

Amy, over at The Finer Things In Life, did a great series of posts on "20 Ways to Save On Groceries Without Using Coupons." This link takes you to Part 4 of the series, and there are links within that post to see Parts 1, 2, and 3. There is some great advice in this series, and I very much agree. You do not have to use coupons to save!

Amy also did a guest post here on how to freeze meals, maximize freezer potential, save time, and minimize freezer burn. It's very interesting, and I found it extremely helpful!

Enjoy reading!!! =)