Grocery Shopping My Way Out of Debt

Hello! :)  I am so, so, so excited to share this new blogger and personal friend with you.  Michelle is here today to share her story how she saved on the grocery bill!  She is a very passionate and loving wife and Mama!  She is a hard worker with lots of talent and wants to share all of it with you on her blog.

Grocery Shopping My Way Out of Debt

Want to know a good way to start getting your family out of debt? Stop buying groceries you don't need and throwing away spoiled food-that is literally money going out your garbage can!  I was this person once, and still to some extent am.  However, thanks to War on Debt, I am learning how to grocery shop my way out of debt.

While it's advised families should only shop one time a week, I'm not there yet.  But the $20/person/week budget I think we can adhere to.  Yes, that is $20/person/week.  Keep in mind, we are a family of four.  One family member is on formula (soon to be off), one family member can't have gluten, and two family members are trying to lose weight and eat healthier.  With that set up, it seems as though it could be impossible to do! But it's not.  Follow these easy steps along with me, and soon you'll find your way grocery shopping your way out of debt too!

What's in your pantry/cupboards? I'm an organizing freak, my husband is NOT.  So I've learned to live with the fact that my cupboards will end up looking like this most of the time until I organize again.  At first glance in my cupboards, this is what you see:

Compared to most people's pantries/cupboards, mine is actually bare! I do keep cereal in a different cupboard and snacks in another one.  I have a teeeny house and have to keep only what I need (ha!...TRY to keep what I need).

Claire is helping me out...nothing in here Mom!

STEP ONE is to go through your pantry and see what you have.  Start thinking of what meals you already have that you could make this week, or could make with just a few groceries. Here's some of what I found in my cupboards:

Before my husband, this is how my cupboard would look...

I even have dessert!

Then I looked through my fridge and freezer to see what I have, here is some of what is in my fridge:

STEP TWO, make a meal list for the week from what you already have.  We always do protein shakes or Kendall has her gluten free cereal for breakfast in the mornings, so that is easy (check out my dinner for breakfast blog-I have changed things up but for simplicity for you to follow, I'll keep this as is).  Do you have five different cereals? Do you have boxes of pancake mix, sausage, bacon, eggs?  What can you use up this week for meals? Think of lunch and dinner.  And make a list you will stick to! When you are prepared, this is much easier to do, and to stick to.  But most importantly, USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE!

One of the things I found in my cupboard is that I almost have the makings for spaghetti, all I need is seasoning mix.  

STEP THREE, (as you do step two) start a grocery list.  I added Italian seasoning (I did check my seasonings cupboard and am out).  I also had makings for pizza, so I added sauce and mozzarella cheese and another topping to my list.  I had makings for tacos, so I just added taco seasoning and romaine lettuce to my list.  I still have gluten free chicken coating, so I added chicken to my list.  Do you see where I'm going with this?  Find what you ALREADY have, get only what you need, and make meals with that!  Sometimes we think we need to do big grocery shopping and we don't.    

Kendall is starting school, so I was actually going to add snacks to my list! Besides her needing fruit and bread, I found these (in addition to the canned fruit I found above) in a cupboard, and they will last the few days she's in school for her lunch next week (those are pistachios in the bag):

Rather than letting what I have go stale while I buy more food, I'm saving money by eating what we already have.  This is where you can use that money you are saving by sticking to a budget and not overspending on food to pay off your debt!

STEP FOUR is to check and see what's on sale, and find coupons.  I'm not very good at this, I lost this week's ad and just didn't have the time to pull it online.  But I did have some coupons, and I got carrots and salsa for eighty-eight cents each! Score-carrots are great snacks and spaghetti add-ins, and salsa will be great for taco night.  Once my cupboards, fridge, and freezer are to the point of only having enough food for the week (plus a couple extras to plan for sicknesses, etc), then I'll start determining what to make for meals for the week based on what is on sale, and what I have coupons for.  

Additionally, some of the food above that I have in my pantry is not we normally eat in the recent month, we really stay away from a lot of carbs/boxed foods.  However, it's there and I don't want to waste them.  Plus, we can make healthier versions using what we have, ie. the tacos will be made with black beans, not hamburger.

STEP FIVE - STICK TO YOUR LIST.  I was in and out of the grocery store in record speed.  Well, I did buy a big thing of vanilla greek yogurt that was not on my list, but I didn't get bag of chips that WAS on my list so it works out.

Here are my bags of groceries.  One habit I NEED to get into is to bring reusable bags with me! I have tons of them.  I need to go put them in the trunk of my car ASAP!

And, here is a copy of my receipt. I'm proud to say that is $53.01, leaving us us just shy of $30.00 for the rest of the week's groceries.  Normally, I would have spent over $100.00.  I saved us almost $50.00!

A couple more tips that I want to add that I would incorporate, but for the sake of time didn't...I have rice and quinoa in my cupboard as you can see above.  I also have chicken broth and frozen veggies in my freezer.  Google these ingredients and find a recipe for them!  Do this with random things you have in your pantry, who knows the next dish out there that you'll love, and it will be FREE because you already have it!

When you get to the point of weekly shopping because you are using up all your food, be sure to stay to the outside of the grocery store-this is where all the healthiest food is!

And be creative and have fun! Do baby steps.  As you can see, this is new for me too.  But together we can make differences in our finances that will keep us in the plus!

Toodles~

Michelle

Don't forget to comment with ideas of your own! And don't forget to follow me on Facebook - go there NOW and click like so you don't miss any of my posts! You can also follow me on via email-look to the right and add your email address.  Easy peasy!!

Thanks so much for sharing Michelle!!  Isn't she great?  What did you like about this?

Have a great day!

Bonnie :)

ARE DOLLAR STORE CLEANERS A BARGAIN?

Whether you just found me today or have been reading this blog for years, you probably guessed that I heart Shaklee!!! One of my favorite things about Shaklee's Get Clean line is that it saves our family hundreds of dollars each year!  (My hubby loves that too, ha!!)

Did you know that they are even less expensive than dollar store cleaners?  Yes...really!!!  It's true!

Amazing, huh? 

I use that extra money I am saving on cleaners to buy my kids the best supplements on the market and feel like it's a WIN WIN for everyone!

If you are asking yourself how do you get a window cleaner for a penny, it's by making your own with Basic H!!  I LOVE Basic H and have been using it for 13 years!

Here is why...

You can clean so many things with Basic H, it's kinda crazy!!

Here are some more comparables for ya...   

 

If you haven't taken the plunge and ordered your own today, order yours now.  Then let me know how you like them here.

What is your favorite thing about Get Clean? 

Bonnie :)

Get Clean for the New Year and last day for FREE MEMBERSHIP! Plus How to Clean Rust and Hard Water Spots!!!

$3,400 Worth of Products for Under $160!

It all starts with this kit because it contains mostly everything you need to clean your house, your laundry and your dishes! Not only does it come packaged with all the cleaning products, it also comes with all the tools you need to use them.  Three spray bottles, dispenser bottle with dropper tip to mix just drops of these special concentrated cleaners. Even pumps, measuring spoons, cleaning cloths, sponges and a scrubber pad are included. Shaklee has thought about everything but the best part of course are the products!

So let's look at each one:

Shaklee Basic H 2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate

It made 6,900 bottles of Windex before it became double concentrated! Now one 16oz bottle makes 48 gallons of super-safe cleaning power and it is nontoxic to you and the environment!  I showed you more info about it here and showed other ways it is used here.

Shaklee Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Wipes  (not included in starter kit)

Not only are these wipes biodegradable, they are 60% better than Pledge Wipes and streaks less on your windows than Windex Multi-Surface Wipes with Vinegar.  I love using these!

Shaklee Scour Off Heavy-Duty Paste (not included in starter kit)

It cleans burnt-on food in your oven as well as stuck-on messes anywhere in your home.  But the best part about using this great product is that it will not remove the hair in your nose because it is a paste, not a powder, so there is no dust in the air. But it is so powerful that it is used to scrub the boat decks for the Wild Dolphin Project and safe enough to protect our oceans because it too is biodegradable!  To see ways that I used it click here.

Shaklee Dish Wash Automatic Concentrate

If you use the Cascade 45-oz powder to clean your dishes, you will need 2 1/2 45oz boxes of it to even come close to the 48 loads that one 32oz Dish Wash can clean. It is also safe for our environment and you will never need to clean your dishes first before loading them in your dishwasher! I never did like cleaning them twice.  I showed posts about this here.

Shaklee Dish Wash Concentrate

If you like to wash your dishes at the sink, you will love to do it with our Dish Wash product. It is so concentrated that you only need a few drops to wash a pile of greasy dishes but yet it is like having a hand beauty treatment at the same time! It is 70% more effective on cutting grease than Method and Seventh Generation. Love it! :)

Shaklee Fresh Laundry Concentrated (Liquid)

Not only does this laundry concentrate clean your clothes, but it also works great as a pre-spotter. It not only outperforms leading detergents, it also outperforms big-name spot removers! It is 30% better at removing soil and stains than All Small and Mighty and removes stains even better than Shout and Spray'n Wash!  Read about my sister’s allergy story here and Wedding dress story here.

Shaklee Fresh Laundry Concentrate (Power) (not included in starter kit)

The 5.5 lb box will clean 88 loads which is 43% more loads than the same size Tide Original. Our 14lb box will do 224 loads in case you have a few children living at home! All of Shaklee’s laundry products work for HE appliances too! :)

Shaklee Fresh Laundry Concentrate Fragrance Free (Power) (not included in starter kit)

If you like to have your laundry clean without any fragrance, try our Hypoallergenic Natural cleaner. It will give you the same clean wash without any fragrance added. 

Shaklee Soft Fabric Concentrate (not included in starter kit)

Use only one-third the amount of softener compared to other products such as Downy, without the health risk. It is clean smelling and silky to reduce wrinkles and to take out cling better than what you may be using now.  But it gets even better because Soft Fabric is Nontoxic and a natural softener.

Shaklee Soft Fabric Fragrance free Dryer Sheets

If you like using dryer sheets instead of the liquid, you will love using these sheets. These are really innovative! First they are veggie-based to keep them natural and biodegradable, and then they break into two separate sheets while in the dryer to be sure they do a great job in the balanced distribution!  Plus, you can throw the whole thing in the recycling bin when you finish using them! 

Shaklee Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover

No need to use chlorine to get stains out when you get do it with natural enzymes and active oxygen found in our Nature Bright. It out cleans OxiClean on grass stains by 50% and you can also use it in your clothes to get them really bright.... the "Nature Bright" way!

Shaklee Concentrated Germicide  (not included in starter kit)

On quart of this concentrate makes up to 64 gallons - it's also EPA registered.  Bacteria, fungi, and viruses can wreak havoc on your family's health and safety. Used as directed, Basic-G tackles over 40 of these pesky microbes, including several animal viruses. That makes it an excellent choice for use in the kitchen, bathroom, or pet area.  See more info here.

Shaklee Hand Wash Concentrate (not included in starter kit)

Yes it cleans your hands but it does a whole lot more! It has wheat germ oil to moisturize, soy protein to condition, balm mint and gentian extracts to soothe, and juniper and spruce extracts to energize. After all that cleaning, you deserve a break at the spa hand treatment center, so enjoy it!  Plus, you only need to use a small amount! :)

Of course, I wouldn’t post something without  before and after pictures, lol!

I am going to show you some pictures of things that I cleaned at someone else’s house with one of my favorite products-Scour Off.

 

Do you have hard water stains?

Scour Off gets them right out!

It also does a great job cleaning your sink!  Before…

After!

 

Here is a close up.  Before.

 

After.  This is an old sink and you can see all that brown is gone now.

Another before.

     Another after!

 

Let’s move to the bathroom now!

More water stains…eww!

After…much better.  I did have to rinse the “scour off” off after.

  Let’s get dirty now!  This is a really old plastic toilet cover.

After.  I got most of that gross stuff off.  It looks way better now! :)

Here is behind the seat.  Before.

 

After!  Basic H and G could do this too!

I saved the BEST for last!!! 

Do you have hard rusty water that leaves bad marks on your toilet? 

I found that Scour Off is one of the only things that will get it off.

  

After!!!  AMAZING!  You can just tell they have bad water because it is a little orange.  I have received a lot of great feedback from people loving how Scour Off gets off rust and water marks so I wanted to show you for myself!

  

I hope you agree that saving $3,400 in cleaning products makes perfect sense. But maybe even more important is the fact that by you using them you will also be doing your part in saving our environment.   This is a great time to start using natural cleaners for the new year!

So be sure to order your starter kit today and save your health, your wealth and our environment plus get FREE membership! A membership gets you 15% off all Shaklee products and there are no minimums to keep your membership! :) I suggest adding the other products that I mentioned above because I LOVE them and think you will too! :)  I added it up, if you buy the starter kit plus the extra items (only one laundry concentrate), it comes to a little less than $160 (member’s price) not including S/H and tax.  That is not bad for everything and these products last for a long time! :)

Dec. 31st is the last day for Free Membership!

START GOING GREEN AND SAVING GREEN THIS YEAR WITH SHAKLEE!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

HOW TO CLEAN WITH SHAKLEE’s GET CLEAN LINE

I had such a great response with my BEST OF 2010 BLOG PARTY that I thought I would show you my cleaning posts all summed up into ONE HUGE (the longest post you ever read) POST!  I think this is all anyway, lol, I might of missed some.  Anyway.  I provided links to the actual post.  As you probably already know, I am a Shaklee Distributor.  I have been using Shaklee products since I was younger because my mom started us on them.  I LOVE SHAKLEE so now I share it with others.  I showed you my TOP 10 SHAKLEE products here but I want to show you the different ways to you the non-toxin cleaning line called Get Clean.  I am still impressed with these products after all this time, plus it’s saves us money and helps keep our home toxic free. 

WARNING: LONG, LONG, LONG POST!  LONGEST EVER!!!

I showed you how I clean, what I use and how often.  This is one of my most popular posts!  I showed  how I clean my kitchen, bathroom, laundry, etc.

I showed you how I  used Shaklee's all natural Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste to clean my oven.  (I love this stuff, I use it in my shower, bath and sinks too!)

Here are some before pictures.....

After.

I also want to let you know that you can put your range hood vent in the dishwasher.  Here are some pictures of that...

BEFORE

AFTER

I showed you my spring cleaning list.

I showed you how I clean my refrigerator.

I showed you my secret and favorite cleaning product!  I guess the secret is out now…lol.  Seriously,  I LOVE this stuff and use it for EVERYTHING!  We mom used it when I was younger and that’s ALL we use now.

I showed you how I clean my kitchen sink.

I showed you how I wash my floor with Organic Basic H.

Before.

(It doesn’t usually get this bad EVER, so it makes a great before)

After.

Before.

After.

It’s even safe enough to let your little ones help!

I showed you how to deep really dust your house.

I showed you how I clean my tea kettle.

Ewww!  Gross, sorry to show this to you but it gets better.  (and this is after I put it in the dishwasher.)

I just wiped it down with my scour off.

And now it looks brand new again.  And within less than a minute!

I showed you how I get off grass stains easily and naturally.

Before.

 

After.

I showed you how I gave my van a spring cleaning.

I showed you in my under the sink makeover how using Shaklee’s cleaners are simple and clean looking.  You don’t have to use a whole cabinet of stuff to clean your house.  You only need an all-purpose and scouring cleaner!  That’s ALL!

I showed you cleaning green in general can save you money.

I showed you the cost comparison of Shaklee’s Get Clean products vs. leading  and other green brands.

Get Clean Cost Comparison 2009 -- MN

I also posted some green tips.

I showed you my HOT household tips.

This first before and after is obviously my oven door.  I took a wet sponge and dipped it into my Scour Off Paste and scrubbed for about 5 minutes…..and…….

  it turned out beautiful!!!  Just like new, without any harsh fumes (oven cleaners are one of the worst for your health) and it only took 5 minutes!!!!

Here is my fridge. I have no clue how it got this bad.  My kids are learning to get there own water this summer and they are always making a mess with the water, plus, if I don’t keep it locked, my 18 month old can push the water button and make a huge mess and FAST!!!

I just sprayed this with my all-purpose formula of Basic H and wipe with my window and mirror micro-fiber cloth.

Here is another example of doing the same thing on my dishwasher.  Basic H work awesome on stainless steal and it leaves no residue.

Ok, here is my kitchen table after a party with a lot of kids (we have those often.)

I just sprayed my degreaser formula of Basic H and wiped with my all purpose  micro-fiber cloth.

That turned out great except now you can see that I need to paint over that cup mark, lol.

I did the same thing on this chair.  Basic H is totally safe to use on furniture and painted furniture.

I does a great job of cutting grease.

   Ok, this is a little embarrassing!!! I was in my bathroom getting ready and the kids were quiet….I little too quiet, so I opened the door to find my boys drawing on my chair with a PEN.   ARGH!!!!

So I sprayed my degreaser formula of Basic H and let sit…..

  and wiped and it ALL came out perfectly.  Basic H is safe to use on fabrics.

Here is a picture of both so you know that I didn’t just switch the chairs, lol!

This is another example of Basic H on wood.   (It also works GREAT on HARDWOOD FLOORS-see here for pics)

I just sprayed all-purpose Basic H and wiped down with my all-purpose micro-fiber cloth.

Basic H works GREAT on windows, mirrors and glass.  Do you see how foggy this lamp is here?

I sprayed with my windows and mirrors formula of Basic H and wiped with my super window/mirror microfiber cloth and it turned out beautifully!  I can also make a gallon of window cleaner with Basic H for LESS than 1 cent!!!!

         Here is  a picture of my sink with a huge rust stain on it.  Yup, I came home from my vacation to Canada to find that I left my cast iron pan in the sink.  It was there for a WHOLE week.  I had the whole house spotless before we left, don’t ask me how I forgot this one!  Anyway, Scour Off was there to save my day (and my sink!)  I did have to scrub a little harder than normal but it only took a couple of minutes until it looked like…..

this!!!!  Look at it shine now!!!!

Here is a full view, if you look carefully, you can see the Scour Off that I used.

I showed how I dust my refrigerator coils.

I showed you what and how to disinfect your house naturally.

I showed you how I wash my cabinets.  I usually wipe them down weekly or when needed but they were pretty bad today so I got out my Basic H and went to work.  I just sprayed on the all-purpose solution and wiped off. 

Before:

After:

I showed you my fall cleaning schedule.

Fall Cleaning Schedule

 

I showed you how I wipe down my walls.  After I wiped it down, It looked like I just painted again!

I show you how I got crayon off our doors.

I was so impressed….it only took a minute or two for each door and it was all off!

I showed you how I clean my garage for winter.

I showed you how I clean my carpet.

Last one..I promise!

I showed you how I get permanent market off my granite countertop.

Before.

After.

I sprayed Basic H and G on it and it came off in 30 seconds! 

OK, Are you still here? lol

I know that was a LOT of info! 

I hope that you learned a couple of things…or at least got motivated to clean!

If you liked what you saw and and are thinking about investing in some of your own Get Clean products.  Here is link to my website.   Shaklee is offering FREE LIFETIME SHAKLEE MEMBERSHIPS with a order over $70 (member price) until December 31st.   A Get Clean Starter Kit qualifies! Although, if you get this kit, I would recommend adding Scour Off and Basic G to your order.  A membership gets you 15% off all Shaklee products and there are no minimums to keep your membership!

START GOING GREEN AND SAVING GREEN THIS YEAR WITH SHAKLEE!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!