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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars

October 6, 2020
I am a lover of quick bread. It’s like the...
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How To Freeze Blueberries

How To Freeze Blueberries

July 8, 2020
Every summer, the kids and I patiently wait until the...
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Simple Garlic Chicken Rotini

Garlic Chicken Rotini

May 5, 2020
I just want to start by saying that this garlic...
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Easy Homemade Chicken Fried Rice

Easy Homemade Chicken Fried Rice

April 21, 2020
We were first introduced to making Chicken Fried Rice from...
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Instant Pot Shredded Beef

Instant Pot Shredded Beef

April 7, 2020
Life gets hectic with three kids in various activities.  That's...
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Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

Instant Pot Shredded Chicken

March 31, 2020
One thing I have been trying to do this year...
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One Pot Chili Mac | Fast, Frugal & Filling Recipe

One Pot Chili Mac

January 7, 2020
When it comes to my clan, pasta is something that...
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This homemade chicken tortilla soup recipe is super easy to make on the stove top. Using pantry ingredients and leftover roast chicken, you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

November 12, 2019
Ever since school began this year, my days have been...
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Instant Pot Chicken Broth

How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Broth

October 1, 2019
Homemade chicken broth is one of those effortless things that...
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Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup

Instant Pot Chicken & Rice Soup

April 9, 2019
In our house, chicken and rice recipes are abundant.  There...
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How To Make Homemade Pizza Dough

How To Make Homemade Pizza Dough

April 2, 2019
Pizza is the one thing my family can eat in...
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Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

March 12, 2019
Hard boiled eggs are an occasional staple around here.  By...
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How To Freeze Fresh Herbs

How To Freeze Fresh Herbs

February 19, 2019
One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh...
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Homemade Mac & Cheese

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

February 12, 2019
When it comes to foods, my weakness is macaroni and...
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Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato Soup

February 5, 2019
Everyone has one person in their family that's super picky...
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Baked Rigatoni

Baked Rigatoni

December 11, 2018
Baked rigatoni is one of those dinners that's a go-to...
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Creamy Tuna Noodles

Creamy Tuna Noodles

December 4, 2018
In grad school, and even back as far as our...
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Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Easy Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup

November 20, 2018
If you've been with me for a while, you'll know...
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How To Make Jalapeno Jelly

How To Make Jalapeño Jelly

November 13, 2018
This year was a really weird year for our garden. ...
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How To Can Spiced Peaches

How To Can Spiced Peaches

October 9, 2018
This summer, one of the things we accomplished was to...
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Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder

Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Chowder

April 16, 2018
Chicken corn chowder is something that I came across from...
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Orzo Ham Peas

Creamy Orzo with Ham & Peas

April 9, 2018
This dish was a meal I threw together one night, and...
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Lasagna Stuffed Shells

Lasagna Stuffed Shells

April 2, 2018
Have you ever had a meal that works, but you...
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Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken

March 19, 2018
It's no surprise that our family is a fan of...
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Vegetable Eggs & Rice

Easy Vegetable Eggs & Rice

March 12, 2018
Ever have a meal that was a breeze to make,...
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Homemade Hamburger Helper

Homemade Hamburger Helper

March 5, 2018
Back in college, Hubs and I used to make boxed...
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How To Can Tomato Sauce

How To Can Tomato Sauce

February 21, 2018
Every year when we plan our garden, tomatoes top the...
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Sausage Potato Soup

Sausage Potato Soup

February 19, 2018
One way we've reduced our expenses in the last few...
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Ultimate Potato Soup

Ultimate Potato Soup

February 5, 2018
Potato soup is one of our favorite fall back recipes. ...
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Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

January 22, 2018
Before we started looking at our debt repayment scenarios, we...
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Greens Beans and Rice

Greens, Beans and Rice

January 15, 2018
More often than not, the best recipes I make come...
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Chicken Sammies

Chicken Sammies

December 18, 2017
Long ago, back when we were just a family of...
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Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili

December 11, 2017
Have you ever had those moments when you're scouring all...
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Carrot Squash Soup

Carrot Squash Soup

October 23, 2017
The start of fall marks many changes in my household. ...
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Berry Coconut Crumble Bars

Berry Coconut Crumble Bars

July 17, 2017
I need to let you in on a secret.  Most...
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Simple Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

March 20, 2017
During the fall soccer season, we were out of the...
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Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup

March 13, 2017
Welcome back friends!  I'm sorry for sporadic posting, but if...
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Ham Potato Green Bean Soup

Ham Potato Green Bean Soup

January 30, 2017
When Hubs and I started dating, there were some meals...
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Cheddar Corn Chowder

Cheddar Corn Chowder

December 12, 2016
This cheddar corn chowder is a recipe that I've made for...
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How To Cook Freeze Dry Beans

How To Cook and Freeze Dry Beans

December 7, 2016
Beans are one of our favorite frugal foods not only...
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slow cooker chicken and rice

Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice

October 18, 2016
My mother-in-law has a slow cooker chicken and rice recipe...
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Habanero Jelly

Habanero Jelly

October 13, 2016
Ever have so many habanero peppers that you don't know...
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Homemade Condensed Cream Of Soup

Homemade Condensed Cream Of Soup

October 11, 2016
Some of our most of our favorite meals use a...
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Homemade Applesauce with Canning Tutorial

Homemade Applesauce – With Canning Tutorial

October 6, 2016
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that one...
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Blueberry Banana Bread Bar

Blueberry Banana Bread Bars

October 4, 2016
There's something uniquely satisfying about eating banana bread that has...
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Homemade Granola

Homemade Granola

May 10, 2016
This homemade granola recipe is so versatile and delicious, it’s...
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roast chicken dutch oven 3

Roast Chicken in a Dutch Oven

April 19, 2016
One of my most favorite meals has to be a...
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chili

Simple & Frugal Chili

March 22, 2016
I've got something I need to get off my chest....
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Homemade Chicken Broth 6

Homemade Chicken Broth

March 15, 2016
Of all the ways I've been cutting back costs, making...
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Blueberry Crumble Bars

Blueberry Crumble Bars

February 16, 2016
In the summers, we go a local berry farm and...
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Banana Bread Muffins

Banana Bread Muffins

January 26, 2016
When we have an abundance of bananas, banana bread becomes...
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Homemade Banana Chips

Homemade Banana Chips

January 20, 2016
Last year, Hubs and I bought a dehydrator {we bought...
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chicken wild rice soup

Chicken Wild Rice Soup

January 12, 2016
It seems like the only recipes I've been writing lately...
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Homemade Vanilla Yogurt

January 5, 2016
When I started making cuts from my grocery bill, yogurts...
Read More
cheddar broccoli soup

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

December 15, 2015
Cheddar broccoli soup is one of our family favorites.  I...
Read More

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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Payday is today! Actually, payday was Friday the 1 Payday is today! Actually, payday was Friday the 12th because we completely forgot today is a bank holiday in the US. The feeling of being paid and not needing it is a nice one.⁠
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Here's what our paycheck needs to get us through for bills until March 14th. For a full look at our budget over the next month, head over to my budget with me on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rb8uyi1-rNc⁠
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#monthlyincome #monthlybudget #monthlybudget #zerobasedbudget #payday #budgetwithme #budgeting #budgettips #budgetcalendar #frugalliving #savingmoney #paycheck #makingcentsmatter #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress
This weekend was focused on a pantry shop and meal This weekend was focused on a pantry shop and meal plan creation! This meal plan to get us to our February payday. We also picked fast meals, because it's a busy two weeks between doctor's appointments,. Academic Decathalon, dance, and drama. I'm unsure we'll be able to shop on payday, hence the extras.⁠
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Total spent: $112.39 for items to get us through this and lunches.⁠
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Keep in mind, just over $112 for 12 meals isn't sustainable for our family, just in times when we need to stretch the last bits of our monthly income. I really wish $112 was enough to feed two teenaged boys in our household.⁠
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The point being... do what works for you, and your situation based on your location. Don't try to fit yourself into someone else's situation!⁠
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#mealplan #mealplanning #frugalliving #frugalmom #makingcentsmatter #savingmoney #monthlyincome #budgeting #budgetmom #groceryshop
January's real numbers:⁠ .⁠ House: $511.13⁠ January's real numbers:⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $720⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $150⁠
Explorer: $343⁠
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Extra Payment to Citi: $500⁠
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Noteworthy... our car payment had a late fee assessed because the mail was SLOWED down over Christmas. Three headaches later, and we potentially have online banking finally set up with them. It is still a headache. And we are never taking another car loan out with this bank!⁠
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How was January?⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejouney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom
Sometimes in order to see progress, you need to ta Sometimes in order to see progress, you need to take a step back.
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I'll be honest, I didn't think that we got this far in 2020. With everything going on - and more importantly, everything NOT going on - we didn't keep up with this every month. We just threw what we could at our goal. I'm simply amazed at how far we came.
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Things are still hectic, and I'm simply mentally exhausted between remote learning, extended remote learning, offset quarantining children... it goes on and on.
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But I also cannot wait to see what strides we will make in 2021.
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#makingcentsmatter #debtfreejouney #debtfreeprogress #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance
This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid This is what school looks like when it's a hybrid model, and your house does not have unlimited space. I was standing in our kitchen when I took this picture, the kids behind me making lunch.
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Our district is carefully monitoring our local infection rates, and we are currently in a hybrid form. That means they divided the district into two groups; half are in school on Monday and Tuesday, the other half on Thursday and Friday. They are offering an all remote option, but Verizon for some reason supplies our house with speeds so slow that it would shock a tortoise. Remote was a no-go.
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This set-up has taken some trial and error to get to where we currently are. Because no matter how prepared you are and how much you've planned, once you're in the weeds, actually doing it, there is no telling how your best-laid plans will work.
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Our home is a 1800sqft one-story, open living area, 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom, ranch-style house in a very rural area. It has no home offices. No guest bedrooms. Yes, that is a desk in the corner of our dining room. 🤣
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Each kid gets their own color bin for their school work. This includes school-issued Chromebooks and other standard items they need to get work done - headphones, pencils, and so on. When we are done for the day, we clean up everything, place them neatly in these bins, and place them in cubbies (on my current left) at night while the Chromebooks charge.
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I do NOT bother to clean up at lunchtime. It would take us more time to clean up and reset everything than it takes us to eat lunch. So we only pack it all up for the day and call it done.
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During the day, I sit between my younger two and field any questions they may have, troubleshoot technical issues we all have, and be the overall bouncer when things get off-topic. My high schooler will occasionally emerge from his bedroom, which opens to the kitchen. So he is close by when he has questions.
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Please remember that with all things in life, you need to work with what's available to you. And there is no shame in that. Don't ever feel like you're not doing good enough because it's not picture perfect. Work with what you have available to you, and you'll do amazing things.
School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I School is in session, the garden is slowing, and I’ve finally realized I haven’t shared our payoff numbers for July or August. Yeah……
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Please keep in mind, we are paid monthly on the 15th, but we don’t go by a “monthly” budget. So I have to go back and look at these numbers based off their due dates in the calendar. Because our pay falls in the middle of the month, I can’t tell you what portion of our income went to debt. It’s going to vary paycheck to paycheck anyways because our priorities vary with each check. Nothing is ever the same month to month, and pay to pay.
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That said, inJuly we paid off $2,694.43.
In August we paid off $1,673.40.
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The difference here is that our priorities shifted between the two months.
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During August, we were doing more prep for whatever school would look like this year, and we had some savings goals make their way to the top of the list as well.
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Of those goals, in August we made progress!
EF Reimbursement: $146 / $1,200
Checking Buffer Reimbursement: $227 / $500
Vet Sinking Fund: $40 / $200
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Remember this is a journey, not a race. There is no point wearing yourself ragged and still making no progress. Make progress where you can, and celebrate it. Even if it’s $5.
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It’s progress, and that’s what matters!
While I wait for the canner to finish the last rou While I wait for the canner to finish the last round... I rearranged our recipe binder. It's only taken me 8 or so years. 🤣😶😭
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I miss the days when zucchini was my problem. Now it's tomatoes. I can only find so many ways to use up spaghetti sauce! So the next 50lbs or so will be chili base and unseasoned sauce.
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On top of this school is starting with a hybrid in building & online system. And I'm seriously slacking on some things I need to do. I'm not good at juggling multiple things and the balls are falling. But I keep reminding myself... be patient. This too shall pass. This is only a phase. So I pick and choose what's the most important, focus on that and go from there.
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So if you feel overwhelmed with your current phase, remember, this too shall pass. It's okay to rearrange priorities. It's okay to take a breather.
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This too shall pass.
If you didn't start finding interesting ways to ge If you didn't start finding interesting ways to get rid of the squash, can you say you even planted any?
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Good news, I'm almost caught up! Bad news, the garden has more.
Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins Super busy here... but I wanted to share that wins can come in super small packages. I thought I'd spend $380 to clean the band instruments in this house. I ended up spending $234. So the remaining $146 can go to reimbursing what I pulled from our EF.
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No matter the win, celebrate it!
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What are some wins you have had lately?
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