Menu planning is one of the habits that makes the biggest difference in our family's budget and my stress level. By taking a few minutes each week to plan out our menu and create a shopping list, I avoid buying food that we don't need and won't eat and eliminate the whole "standing in front…
The following post is from Shaina of Food for My Family and Olmanson Photography: Do you ever feel stuck when it comes to eating fresh produce? Sometimes, when I stare into my well-stocked refrigerator in search of a quick bite, no matter the amount of produce that seems to overflow from the shelves, I feel…
The following post is from Kate of Modern Alternative Mama: The food budget is one area that I manage alone. The rest, my husband and I share (and frankly he does the day-to-day stuff because as long as we agree on the big stuff, I don't care about the details!). The budget can quickly get…
The following post is from Kate of Modern Alternative Mama: My fourth baby was just born. I'm honestly not doing a lot of cooking at this time. But you know, my kids -- they still want to eat! Can't seem to get around that one. My husband likes to eat too (although at least he…
The following post is from Kate of Modern Alternative Mama: We all want to save money on groceries. They're a major expense for any family, especially growing ones. But when you are committed to "real food" suddenly the game changes. There are rarely coupons for real food, and they don't sell grass-fed beef at scratch'n'dent-type…
The following post is from Kate of Modern Alternative Mama: Lots of people love freezer cooking. In fact, Jessica, a fellow contributor here at Life Your Way, is something of a freezer cooking guru, having published a cookbook all about it. It's taken me a long time to get on the freezer cooking bandwagon. I've…
There are plenty of posts around the blogosphere about why you should take the time to plan your menu, but we're going to look at the top ten reasons you shouldn't: 10. You're a non-comformist by nature, and since meal plans are popular, you refuse to give in. 9. You like to spend your free…
The following post is from Jessica of GoodCheapEats and LifeasMOM: Over the last few weeks, I've been "eating down the pantry". What this means is that instead of grocery shopping as usual, I'm spending time and effort to use up what we have. Not only does this help me save money on food costs and…
Has Thanksgiving snuck up on you this year? I know it has for me, and this free ebook is designed to help you plan your Thanksgiving so that it’s the kind of celebration you want. That may mean a new family tradition, a new recipe or a scaled-back meal plan. Or it may just mean…
The following post is from Jessica of GoodCheapEats and LifeasMOM: As a child, I loved the feast days of the winter holidays. My mom cooked up a veritable storm on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I'd lie in bed listening to the mixer run, knowing that there was a dessert in the making. She got…