Square Foot Gardening Update: Blooms, Beans and Maters

My garden is growing nicely. This year, I converted my boxed garden to a Square Foot Garden, following along with Mel Bartholomew's book, All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!. By following his method I am growing more food in the same space where I have been gardening for years. Because of the efficiency of his method, I now have room to grow vegetables that I have never tried before because I didn't think I had the space.

I have already harvested arugula and lettuce. The arugula was a little sparse, but I am excited to try again in the late summer. My spinach didn't take off at all and I'm not sure why. My lettuce did well.

I love when volunteers come up from prior years. Occasionally I'll get a tomato plant or two sprouting in my garden, but this year I got two plants coming from my compost bin.

I found this guy growing outside my bin. At first I thought it was a weed, so I pulled it. At second glance I realized it was not a weed, so I rooted it in some water and replanted in a new box that we built for raspberries. I don't really need to plant zucchini since I get a ton from my CSA, but I am not going to throw away a free plant. It has quite a few blooms under those leaves. I'll pass along to the neighbors.



I don't know what kind of tomato plant this is, but it is growing out of the compost bin. So I staked it up and hopefully it survives.


Speaking of tomatoes, I have got quite a few green ones growing in my box.


Romas.

Big Boys.

Grapes...my oldest daughter's favorite.

Celebrity.

My purple beans are blooming away.

And a few beans are hanging already. They are going to be fun.

The sweet pepper plant has one lonely pepper, hopefully the first of many.

My jalapeno plant has 4 peppers so far. I am craving stuffed jalapenos.

The carrots a growing well too.

But my poor topsy-Turvy strawberry planter is not doing too well. There aren't any blooms and I don't know what to do about it. This is an ever-bearing plant, so it is supposed to bloom and grow all season. Some of the leaves aren't looking very healthy either. I need to do some research and find out what I can do to salvage it.



And this guy is a pie pumpkin that I transplanted because he was getting overshadowed by the zucchini plant, but I don't know if he is going to survive the transplant. Only time will tell.

How is your garden growing? I would love to hear about it in the comments.

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• An Oregon Cottage's Garden Party
  

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How To Grill Chicken Breast and Not Dry It Out Like The Sahara

Years ago, I dreaded grilling boneless, skinless chicken breast, because it always turned out very dry. I was horrified one time when I had my family over for dinner and served them grilled chicken. My poor grandfather, who is the strongest person I have ever known, could barely cut his chicken because it was so tough. My family was very polite about the chicken, “everything is delicious, dear” as they chugged water just to get it down.

So in my quest to not inflict my poor family with dried out chicken ever again, I consulted with one of my cookbooks,Bobby Flay's Grill It!. Bobby’s advice, “ don’t overcook it”. Ooooooh, so that was my problem. It turns out I was grilling my chicken twice as long as I needed to.

I am happy to report that my grilled chicken has improved dramatically and is a family favorite. We are no longer guzzling water at the dinner table.

How To Grill Chicken Breast

1. Pre-heat your grill to high. I have a three burner gas grill. I light the outside 2 burners and keep the middle one closed.

2. Cut off the tenderloins. They are so thin that they will dry out and be almost inedible if they are cooked as long as the rest of the chicken. Cook separately. They will only take about 2 minutes on each side on the grill. Or save them to make chicken nuggets for the kids.



3. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic bag or between plastic wrap and pound the chicken with a rolling pin, heavy pan, or meat mallet until about evenly ½ inch thick.
4. Drizzle olive oil and your favorite spices over your chicken and toss to coat evenly. I have stopped using dressings, marinades, and BBQ sauce for skinless chicken. I think the sugar in those dressings causes the chicken to burn and dry out.

5. When the grill hits at least 450 degrees, place the chicken on the middle of the grill. Close the lid. I don’t let the grill go too much over 450 degrees.



6. Cook 6 minutes and flip. Flipping the chicken more than once is a good way for it to taste like sand. It dries out the chicken.


7. Continue to grill another 4 minutes with the lid closed. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the breast should read 155 degrees F.

8. Remove from grill and let the chicken sit for 5 minutes before cutting into. This is VERY important. If you cut into the chicken too soon, all of the juices will come gushing out and dry out the chicken. Trust Me!




We like to eat our grilled chicken on top of a garden salad packed with fresh summer vegetables or topped with our favorite mango, red pepper salsa.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite grilling recipe you'd like to share?

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• Mouthwatering Monday at A Southern Fairytale
• 5 Dollar Dinners
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family
• Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

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Are You Wasting Time And Preventing Yourself From Your Million Dollar Dream?

I read an interesting article yesterday in USA TODAY. It was written by Laura Vanderkam and it was titled, ‘Is time really money? For these millionaires, yes.’

The author spoke recently with a non-profit organization, Count Me In, which provides support to women entrepreneurs. The organization made an observation that women entrepreneurs who developed million dollar businesses had one thing in common. They used grocery delivery services before they made their millions.

While they were in a time period where they might have needed to save money, the women entrepreneurs realized that they also needed to maximize their time. The hour or two that they saved by not grocery shopping was focused on honing their skills, growing their business, or maybe chasing down lucrative contracts. For these women the extra $10 to have their groceries delivered was a small price for that extra hour or two. The author states, “they knew that you can spend time to save money. Or you can spend small amounts of money to save time, and use that time to earn a lot more.”

The article wasn’t selling grocery delivery services and it wasn’t saying that we should all use that service. But it was pointing out that, “there’s a limit to how much you can cut (in relation to spending), but there’s no limit to how much your income can grow if you value your time and use it well.”

I love it when I read something that inspires me. It did not inspire me to sign up for grocery delivery, but it did inspire me to think about how I let certain things suck time from my day or evening. I can just look at my day and tell you where I can find an extra hour or two of unproductive time and it won’t even cost me $10. That is very easy for me to answer…my time spent online.

I try to limit my computer time to when the kids are sleeping. But when I get on the computer, I get lured in to facebook, twitter, bravotv.com, the news, etc, and all of the sudden I realize that I just spent an hour flitting around the internet when I could have spent that time reviewing our balance sheet, working on our small business, or writing a blog post. I could have spent that hour being more productive, but instead I chose to waste it away. I have goals and dreams that will stay just dreams if I continue to waste time away.

This is something that I need to work on. Now that summer is here and we are on a different schedule, I have been working on refining my routine. I am trying to fit so much into my day: exercise, devotion, housework, office work, family time, meal time, and at the end of the day – ME time. Basically I need to put a value on my time. Of course my most important values are my faith and family, but after that is my work.

Will that hour or two a day spent more productively lead me to a million dollar business? I'm not sure, but I am posting the USA Today article above my desk so hopefully when I start to spend a little too much time on Bravotv.com I’ll notice the article and realize that finding out what the Real Housewives of NY are up to is lining their balance sheet not mine.

Do you spend money on a service that gives you more time to spend on growing your business or your balance sheet? What sucks time from your day that could be spent more wisely or more productively?

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Easy Summer Menu Planning

I write a lot about food. I love to eat and I love to cook for my family.

My favorite part of summer is the food. Well, I also love the long days and the glorious sun, but the food...oh...the food. We cook outside and we eat outside. I rarely turn on my stove or oven during the summer, opting instead for the grill and fresh garden vegetables and fruits from my own garden, the CSA or a farm stand.

The food in this picture is a typical summer meal for us. Grilled turkey sausages topped with grilled red peppers and red onions, tossed garden salad, steamed green beans and fresh summer fruit. When food is this fresh we don't get bored with it. Instead we savor it knowing that in a few months the summer harvest will be over and I am headed back into the kitchen.

Summer menu planning is so easy. We'll grill chicken, turkey sausages, turkey burgers and fish all summer long. Add a simple garden or pasta salad and some summer fruit and you have a no-frills, yet delicious meal. Easy to make, very few ingredients and fast. When the weather is gorgeous outside, who wants to be stuck inside spending a lot of time cooking dinner?

Summer menu planning can also be easy on your grocery budget. You can get local, fresh, in-season produce at great prices from farmers markets, roadside stands, u-pick farms and even your traditional grocery store.

My favorite ingredients, though, come from my own garden. You can't get much easier than going to your own back yard for your dinner. Hopefully my garden will flourish in the next several weeks and will be ready to harvest soon.

What's on your dinner table this summer? How do you save money on your grocery budget over the summer?

Are you looking for new grill recipes? Do you have an awesome grill recipe to share? Bring it to Family Balance Sheet every Monday from June 21 - August 30, 2010 and link up to the Summer Grilling Recipe Exchange.

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This post is linked to:

• Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family
• Frugal Friday at Life As Mom
• Finer Things Friday at Amy's Finer Things

Summer Grilling Recipe Exchange

Are you doing more of your cooking outside at the grill these days? Are you looking for new grill recipes to serve to your family? Do you have an awesome grill recipe that you would love to share?

Welcome to the first 'Summer Grilling Recipe Exchange'. Whether you grill with gas or charcoal, please link up your favorite grilling recipes. The exchange will be every Monday from June 21 through August 30.

Today I am going to kick off the exchange with a recap of a few popular grill recipes from the archives.

Grilled Lime Chicken with Mango Red Pepper Salsa

Red Pepper and Feta Turkey Burgers

Apple and Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers

Grilled Summer Squash with Parmesan and Fresh Herb

Thanks for participating and I look forward to finding some new recipes.

A few Mr. Linky guidelines:

• Please link a favorite grill recipe to Mr. Linky. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your favorite grill recipe in the comment section.
• Please post the link to your recipe, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your update post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Mr. Linky.
• I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article or grab the badge that is in the top left of the site.
• If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.

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This post is linked to:

• Mouthwatering Mondays at A Southern Fairytale
• $5 Dinners
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Tuesdays at the Table at Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
• Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

Grilled Summer Squash with Parmesan and Fresh Herb

We don't grow summer squash, but we receive quite a bit with our CSA. This dish is easy, tasty and smells divine with the addition of the garlic.

Grilled Summer Squash with Parmesan and Fresh Herb

• 2 squashes - yellow and/or zucchini, sliced thin and cut into quarters
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced thin
• olive oil
• Parmesan
• chopped fresh herb, like parsley or basil, or whatever your like or what is in your garden

Lay out a large piece of aluminum foil. Place the squash, onion, garlic on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil.

Wrap the foil into a tight package.



Place on a hot grill. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Flip and cook for another 10-15 minutes. I usually place on the grill along side our main dish, like chicken. When I flip the chicken, I flip the squash.

Sprinkle with fresh herb and Parmesan right before serving. This can also be served on top of rice or noodles.



Are you looking for new grill recipes? Do you have an awesome grill recipe to share? Bring it to Family Balance Sheet every Monday from June 21 - August 30, 2010 and link up to the Summer Grilling Recipe Exchange.

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This post is linked to:

• 5 Dollar Dinners
• Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

8 Tips To Help You Save Money While On Vacation

We recently took a much-needed vacation and I watched my husband’s stress melt away.

Vacations are supposed to be enjoyable. We save and eagerly wait all year for our vacation and the last thing that we want to do is stress about the money spent while on our trip.

It might seem so obvious, but a little planning will help you save money while on your trip, so that you can have the relaxed vacation that you hoped for.

1. Use Cash

We take cash on our vacation and when it is gone, well, we’re screwed. We also don’t want to come home to a credit card bill. I hosted The $500 Challenge back in April, where I raised our spending money for our trip. Using cash also prevents me from spending money on unnecessary souvenirs, because I don’t want to waste our cash. The only thing that we use a credit card for on vacation is gas. It is just easier at the pump to use plastic.

2. Make a list of expenditures.

Of course, your planning starts with where you are going? How long is your travel time to your destination? Does your rental have a kitchen? Will you have laundry facilities? How much can you pack in your vehicle? Are there reliable grocery stores at your destination? Brainstorm all of the expenditures that you will have and make a list.

3. Create A Budget.

Everyone’s vacation destination and expectations will be different. Maybe you don’t want to cook at all during your vacation or maybe eating out for every meal is beyond what your budget can handle. What activities will be available where you are going? How much gas do you think you will need to get to your destination?

4. Create a Meal Plan.

On our trip, food was the biggest expenditure and thankfully our beach house had a kitchen. We traveled with my parents, so my mom and I sat down before the trip and talked about a meal plan.

We calculated the number of meals we were going to have and decided how many will be at home and how often we would dine out. We included breakfasts, lunches, dinners and even snacks in our planning. We were gone for 8 days. We ate breakfast in our rental on 6 of those days and bought the most delicious made-to-order donuts on the other 2 mornings. We packed a picnic lunch for the beach for 7 days and ate out for lunch on one day when we took a sun-break. My mom and I were each responsible for 2 dinners. We planned for one night to be ‘clean out the fridge’ night and we allowed for 3 dinners out.

Since this was planned out before our trip I was able to do most of our grocery shopping at home instead of our vacation spot. I planned the menu weeks before we left, so I was able to take advantage of sales. Our beach house had a grill so for my 2 dinners, I grilled chicken one night and turkey burgers and hot dogs on the other night. My mom brought a meatloaf and soup/salad for her two nights. My food was frozen and held up well in the coolers on our trip. I am fortunate enough to have a vehicle large enough to be able to pack the food. For my sides, I did go to the local grocery store for some salad fixings and a huge watermelon that lasted for several meals.

If you are traveling with other families, splitting the menu planning will help alleviate some of the meal planning on your part and save you money, but be sure to discuss each family’s food challenges.

5.What Are Your Non-Food Needs?

Being prepared ahead of time will save you money and time.

• Will you need to supply your own: toilet paper, bath towels, bed linens.


• Will there be laundry facilities? Detergent is much cheaper when bought at home on sale.


• Drinking water – where we were, it is recommended to not drink the water out of the faucet, so we take a lot of water. It is the one time of year that I buy individual water bottles, but I also took gallons jugs. (thank goodness our rental had recycling containers


• What will you need in the kitchen? dishwasher detergent, dish soap, paper towels, napkins


• Will you need sunscreen, bug spray? – so much cheaper to buy at home than on vacation


• Batteries for the cameras

6. Plan for your travel.

To save money and to avoid fast food, we pack our lunch and snacks for our trip. We had a 7 hour drive to our destination, so I pack a lot of snack foods and I try to keep them healthy.

Also plan for gas, tolls and parking.

7. Tourism Centers

Once you are at your destination and are settled in, find the local tourism center to scout out any coupon books. Many local businesses have these books as well. The books usually include coupons for local restaurants, stores and activities.

8. Choose Your Indulgences Wisely.

It is your vacation, so I believe a little indulgence is needed. I am a foodie, so my preferred indulgence is food and if we are at the beach, it is seafood. I also spend a lot of my time at home in the kitchen, so when I am on vacation, I want to eat some really good food, but have someone else prepare it for me. I don’t mind cooking and eating in a few nights so that we have some extra cash for a really good, quality meal.

As one of our nights out, we like buy take out crab legs and shrimp from a little road side seafood shack. We find that it is a cheaper to buy in bulk at a local seafood shop than for all of us to order the food individually at a restaurant.

I am drooling now just thinking about those crab legs...

How do you save money while on your vacation? What do you like to indulge in? Let us know in the comments.

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Bunny Breakfast

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• Wordless Wednesday

Six Affordable Ways To Entertain Your Kids This Summer

Got kids?

Got kids home for the summer whining that there is nothing to do?

I know my kids have plenty to do around our house, but the same toys, books and swing set can get boring after a few weeks spent at home.

I need to have a game plan for summer activities and they need to be fun and affordable.

Six affordable ways to keep the little monkeys entertained.

1. Check out your local library and book stores for their summer reading programs. At our library, the kids can earn small prizes, such as free coupons for pizza and ice cream for reading books through out the summer. They also have a summer schedule for special story times and other activities. Also, a local bank is offering the children $10 for reading just 10 books over the summer. It is just happens to be the bank where our kids have savings accounts.
   


2. Check out local fairs and festivals for low cost games, food and activities. We love to hit the local harvest festivals in the summer time for strawberries, peaches, and apples. Local towns, libraries, malls and fire halls also host carnivals and festivals as fundraisers. Keep your eyes and ears open for local activities.


3. A Park A Week – One day every week, my kids and I try a different park. It keeps them from being bored by going to the same park every week. I don’t mind driving a few extra miles to try a new park. We pack a lunch, snacks and plenty to drink…and sunscreen too. We go early in the morning to avoid the hot afternoon sun.
   


4. Hit the amusement parks in the late afternoon and save considerably on the admission fee. We live near a huge amusement park that is a bit pricey. We also have 2 young children that need to nap and would not be able to handle a whole day at a park anyway. Therefore, we go after 5pm when the price reduces considerably and it is much cooler than at mid-day.
   


5. Host a theme party. Invite your friends over for an ice cream social or a banana split party. On nice evenings, my hubby starts a bonfire and we invite the neighbors over for s'mores for the kids and Coronas with lime for the adults.
   


6. Check out your local movie theaters for their summer time specials. A theater in my area offers a FREE showing of Rated G movies on Tuesdays and a FREE showing of Rated PG movies on Wednesdays starting in June.

What inexpensive activities do you have lined up over the summer with your family? Please share in the comments.


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This post is linked to:

• Thrifty Thursday at Coupon Teacher
• Frugal Friday at Life As Mom

Frozen Fruit & Yogurt Pretzel Pops: A Yummy and Affordable Summer Treat

We eat a lot of ice cream in the summer. Who doesn't? It has become an after-dinner habit for my family. We like to go to ice cream shops for the treat, but that can break the budget. So we go to the ice cream shops on special occasions and get our ice cream fix by eating at home.

We wanted to make the treat a little healthier, so I made some frozen yogurt pops. The Popsicle molds have been in my kitchen cupboards for years. I almost sold them at our recent yard sale because I have never used them. Thank goodness I didn't, because these were fun to make and my kids loved them.

We simply took our favorite vanilla yogurt and mixed blueberries in one batch and strawberry puree in the second batch. Instead of using the sticks that come with the molds, I stuck pretzel rods into the yogurt and then placed the molds in the freezer.

Voila...frozen yogurt pops.

The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Are you making homemade treats this summer? Please share!!


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This post is linked to:

• Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
• $5 Dinners
• Tempt my Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace
• Works for Me Wednesday at We are That Family
• Foodie Friday @ Designs by Gollum

U-Pick Strawberries: Buy Local, Save Money & Enjoy

For me, the anticipation of the local strawberry season is like the feeling I get right before Christmas. I am full of excitement and impatience all at once. The season is short, so I can’t wait for it to come and I want to savor the moment once it is here.

In my area, strawberry season is here and it might even be dwindling down in some parts…boohoo

And my Topsy-Turvy Strawberry planter has just a few green berries.


So what is a girl to do…head to the U-Pick strawberry patch, where the local berries are bursting, full of flavor and at my patch only $1.40 a pound.

I have gone twice so far and picked 8 quarts each time. I am also going to go to our CSA’s u-pick day this Saturday.

Aside from just popping them in our mouths, we have had strawberry shortcake for dessert (and maybe for breakfast too), we have added strawberries to our breakfasts and our salads, I have made 2 batches of freezer jam, and I have filled 2 gallon-sized bags for the freezer. I’ll use those for ice cream and smoothies long after the season is over and local, fresh berries are a distant memory.

Right now, I am going to go pop a few more in my mouth and savor this season for just a few more days.

Do you go to the U-Pick strawberry patch? What price do you pay for berries at your patch?


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This post is linked to:

• Madame Deals
• Frugal Friday at Life As Mom

What Does A Beach House REALLY Cost?

I was fortunate to spend last week at the beach with my family for a much needed vacation. We love the beach and every year I find myself daydreaming, or rather morning-dreaming, during my morning runs about what it would be like to own a beach house as a second home or to retire to a beach community.

It always appears to be a far-fetched dream, but my husband brought home a sales flyer from a local home that was for sale. Could it be achievable or is this too good to be true?

The flyer read, “What Does A Beach House REALLY Cost?”.

It goes on to state, “Curious as to what property values are? You may have heard that some homes here help pay for themselves with their rental income. How does that work? Here’s an example:

6 bedroom, 4 full bathrooms, 2 partial baths, pool and hot tub, Furnished and recently renovated.

Price $549,000

Expenses $39,093

Net Rental Income $37,600

Total Cost per year $1493

Expenses include: property taxes, insurance, utilities, association fees, pool and hot tub maintenance, and 30 year fixed mortgage at 5%.”

The flyer includes 3 pictures of the home and it looks beautiful, although it is not the home in the picture above.

Could it really only cost $1493 a year to own a beach house? WOW, but questions start flying in my head. How difficult is it to rent the home? How well do vacationers take care of the property? Is the home a sound structure or a money pit? Could I even get a second mortgage?

Really only $1493 a year? Really? Does this smell too good to be true to you too?

Part of me wants to investigate a little more and part of me knows that I should just keep dreaming.

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Breathe. Exhale. Return to Center.

Last week, my family and I took a much needed vacation. Very Much Needed.

We were able to get out of town and head to the beach for some sun, sand and relaxation.

I had plans to blog, but the Internet access was slow, so aside from occasionally checking my email, I kept the computer turned off.

Instead, I slept in until 8am, I went to bed early, I ran/power walked every morning, I played in the ocean with my kids, I looked for seashells with my 4 year old, I watched my 2 year old climb a big-girl jungle gym, I spent time at the pool, I ate Oreos, I ate ice cream, I ate donuts, I pushed my kids on the swing, my kids pushed me on the swing, I spent time with my parents and I watched my husband's stress melt away.

I breathed. I exhaled. I returned to center.

And now I'm back and that feels good too.




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Radish Canapes with Fresh Herb

I have never been a big fan of radishes, but after we received this recipe with a bunch of radishes in our CSA box last week, I have changed my mind about this little root vegetable.

This is a hearty and tasty snack. Enjoy!


Radish Canapes with Fresh Herb

Remove radish tops and scrub the roots clean. Slice each radish into thin rounds. Spread plain cream cheese on top of your favorite crackers. I used Multi-Grain Club crackers. Press your favorite fresh herb sprig, such as dill or cilantro or whatever suits your fancy, onto the cream cheese and top with radish slices. You could replace the crackers with hearty bread.

This snack needs to be eaten immediately as the crackers will go soggy, but do not worry, because that will not be difficult to do. I gobbled these up for lunch.

Don't know what Canapes means?... neither did I!

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Spending Wisely When You Just Don't Want To Spend At All

The following is a guest post is from Amy at Money 4 This Not 4 That.


Every post you read about frugal living seems to be focused on how to save money. These lists are without a doubt the best thing out there. The wisdom you can gather from others is often invaluable, and other times it's your money saving tips that are the ones so appreciated by others.

Then we come upon the dilemma of spending. There are some things that you try and save on, but in the end you just need to spend your money wisely.


CLOTHING

Out of all the clothing needs that we buy for our family, these are the things that drive me crazy. Socks, underwear, sports bras, compression shorts, soccer shoes, soccer socks, soccer uniforms, sport teams sweatshirts, basketball shoes, track shoes, running shoes, dress shoes….stop me anytime. These are needs that you have to buy and you have to spend money on, so you had better spend wisely.

1. Buy a year in advance. It's harder to do when the kids are older (middle school, high school) but it can be done. My daughters feet quit growing a few years ago, so I can buy for her a little easier. My son on the other hand is in a major growth spurt. It's a gamble and depending on the price, it's a gamble I might take. So far so good.

2. Buy Quality, because you would like these to last throughout the year for all sporting activities. With compression shorts, socks, sports bras you just have to buy when you see a good price. Don't try and get fewer than you think you will need because they will wear out faster or your kids will start digging through your closet for what they need.


HOUSEHOLD

What about all the household needs that we have? The conveniences that we can no longer live without? How do we spend wisely on those items?

1. Buy your AC or heater in the off season. Better bargaining power when there isn't a lot of demand. When it breaks and it needs replaced at the time, even though it's a hard pill to swallow, buy a good one, even if it costs more. Do your home work, and get at least 3 bids.


2. Take your time when purchasing any appliance that goes out in your house. The inconvenience of having your stove go out, or your fridge or even a washer or dryer is awful. It's happened to us, it was our washer. I took my time, asking friends, reading consumer reports, shopping around and asking lots of questions. In the meantime I took a latte to my friend in exchange for washing machine use.

MEDICAL BILLS AND NEEDS

Then comes the dreaded medical bills. Medical needs and bills are huge money suckers, but don't go cheap. You can never prepare yourself for what may come, but spend wisely. I have to remind myself of this.

1. Research, know, understand every option. Don't ever, EVER put a price tag on your health. Again, trust me. I am so incredibly frugal I was out last night at 11pm picking up newspapers that had been laying out for 4 days that I knew had coupons in them. I am frugal, but at the same time I won't put a price tag on my health. After 9 months of research I have agreed to a surgery, that I need, that will cost me $40,000 out of pocket. Seriously check out my site, I am horribly frugal, but that lifestyle is what allowed us to make this decision. I am just glad that I will be able to make the best decision for myself.

2. There are many ways to save money on your medical bills too. Simple things like matching up bills to EOB and asking questions, ask for discounts and shop around for best pricing. For more details check out my blog.

3. If the medical need is glasses, be willing to spend money if you want the recipient to actually wear them.

4. Look for special medical credit cards like Care Credit that will help you pay off some of your medical expenses with a low interest rate or 0% interest, so you can choose the best option for your family. By doing this you spread the expenses out over a period of time, instead of one lump sum.

It's ok to spend, if you just do it wisely. Check out my blog, http://money4thisnot4that.com/ and see where I spend and where I save.


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