Hubby's Breakfast Sandwich How-to

One way we save a significant amount of money each week and stick to our $100/week grocery budget is by making my husband these easy, homemade breakfast sandwiches. I set aside less than an hour over the weekend to prepare and freeze these for the week. Before I head to bed each night I place one into the refrigerator to thaw and heat them up in the oven the next morning while hubby gets ready.

I use either my homemade bagels/english muffins or ones that I find on sale

I fry up eggs on the griddle to go with however many breakfast sandwiches I'm making. This week I had 6 bagels, 1 English muffin (left over from last week) and 1 sandwich roll (also left over from last week). As you can tell, I don't let anything go to waste, so I find a way to use up things we have.

Depending on what is on sale or has the best price, I buy either sausage, bacon or ham. Make sure you check your local farm stand or meat market - many times you can find the best prices here. I always shop around, though. This week maple breakfast sausage links were on sale at our grocery store, so I just cook and split them in half to place on the sandwiches.

I also had a roll of pork sausage. I made patties and cooked them on the griddle as well. Just place on paper towel when done to absorb excess grease.

I freeze these sandwiches in aluminum foil since I toast them in the oven. If you plan to microwave instead just remember to remove the foil or plastic wrap - whatever you decide to freeze them in. Alright, so onto assembling the breakfast sandwiches.

First I place the egg onto the bagel.

Next, the meat.

Lastly, the cheese.

Place other bagel half on top

 

and wrap the foil around the sandwich.

Place all the sandwiches in the freezer and you're done!

 See how simple that is? Now you don't have to worry about your husband going without breakfast, or going through the drive-thru in the morning. You save so much money preparing his breakfasts, whether it be breakfast sandwiches or breakfast burritos -both freeze well. Just send him off with his sandwich, a fruit and coffee and he will be one happy man!

Day 1: Three meals on a $100 per week grocery budget - not bad!

Yesterday I shared our absolute excitement about us on our way to debt-free living, and our plan to do so! I mentioned that we are also feeding our family on a $100 per week grocery budget. Here is a look at our meal plan for today (excluding hubby's breakfast and lunch, which you can read about in this post, too)

For breakfast the kids and I had oatmeal, orange slices and a glass of whole milk.

Lunch was macaroni and cheese, celery & carrots with ranch dressing

The kids snacked on homemade popsicles Haley made over the weekend (orange juice and water) and tortilla chips.

Since the kids have their Christmas piano recital tonight, I prepared a Shepherd's pie this morning. All I have left to do is roast the side of brussel sprouts. When we get home I'll just pop the Shepherd's pie in the oven to heat dinner will be served!

The Shepherd's pie was one of my plan-around-what-we-already-have meals. I do this pretty often, actually, and it saves us from extra-spending and reduces waste. I already had a bag of frozen corn from early fall in the freezer.

My father-in-law blessed us with ground venison over the weekend, so I sauteed that up with minced garlic, salt and pepper.

I bought a 5 lb bag of potatoes during this week's grocery trip to spread across a few different meals. I already had butter on hand, so I boiled and mashed! Easy, affordable dinner!

What I love about having a meal plan is that it literally prevents waste. No kids snacking through the cupboards, no picky-eating opportunity. I'm very thankful to have children who aren't very picky and will clean their plates. They are used to a meal-routine.

I'll share my step-by-step making of husband's favorite breakfast sandwiches tomorrow!

On our way to debt-free living!

I'm going to be writing many financial-related posts mostly to record our family's progress to debt-free living. I hope along the way they will encourage others as well. My blog is also considerably new, so I'm not really sure how many readers I have!

A little background....

We are a single income family. I stay home full-time, homeschool our children. I also am manager of our finances (I'm continually learning and getting a little better). Not including our mortgage, we have a little over $32,500 in debt. I'm taking baby steps in eliminating this debt, so I am not including our mortgage until I start eating away at these *little* things. I'm not ignoring the fact that our mortgage is a debt - it just helps me mentally to focus on the smaller debts for now. Our ultimate goal is to have our house completely paid off! Here is a look at our current list of debt:

1. Credit Card #1 $251
2. Credit Card #2 $608
3. Student Loan #1 $2,170
4. Student Loan #2 $3,057
5. Loan #1 $3,700
6. Loan #2 $4,591
7. Truck Loan $6,701
8. Car Loan $11,482

First thing is first.

We first need to bring all our current bills up to current.Thankfully, we aren't far behind. We are following many of Dave Ramsey's suggestions, so after we bring our bills to current we will put $1,000 into an Emergency Savings account. Afterward, we will start snowballing our way through these debts.

Budgeting

Would you believe that I'm actually excited to be implementing a budget? I don't feel panicked or restricted like some. I feel very, very optimistic to know that there is a light at the end of this debt-tunnel and that I know where our money is going. Our current budget is as follows:

1. Food - $100 per week
2. Gas - $80 per week
3. Hubby's coffee - $10 per week

You're probably thinking why don't I just make my husband's coffee at home? Well, I do. My husband is also an electrical lineman and he works outdoors all day, every day. Another hot cup of coffee in the middle of the day, especially during these frigid months, is almost a must. 

This week is our first week feeding our family of four (well, five, really - since we are pregnant with our third :) on $100. Surprisingly we are eating fairly healthy!Not perfect by any means, but not necessarily junk. Breakfast is typically our heartiest meal, lunch is light and dinner is also quite filling as it is one that is very important to us because we enjoy it together as a family. At this point in our finances I can't eat entirely organic - unless I spot a good deal - but I'm optimistic that one day, very soon, we will be able to do so.

Here is a look at this week's $100 menu:

Breakfasts:

*Hubby's breakfasts are always homemade breakfast sandwiches. I spend a weekend afternoon preparing and freezing these ahead of time. These consist of either a bagel or english muffin, sausage or bacon, egg and cheese.

For myself and the kids:

- Oatmeal, orange slices and milk
- Toast with butter or PB, scrambled eggs and orange slices
- Berry smoothie

Lunches:

*Hubby's lunches are either a tuna fish sandwich or BLT, leftovers, crackers, orange, and Powerade.

For myself and the kids:

- Mac and cheese, raw carrots and celery with dressing
- Grilled cheese, raw carrots and celery with dressing
- Leftovers

Dinners

- Shepherd's pie and vegetable
- Spaghetti, hamburg, sauce and garlic bread
- Stir fry with white rice
- Chicken, brown rice and vegetable
- Whole roast chicken, homemade stuffing, roast potatoes
- Italians, chips, juice boxes (we are eating dinner on the road this day)
- Pigs in a blanket and vegetable

Snacks

- Crackers with PB
- Fruit

The bright side of this $100 food budget is knowing that we are able to eliminate all this unwanted debt quickly. It also means that we will be able to open our budget down the road to organic options and more opportunity to eat out. Honestly, we rarely eat out to begin with, so we aren't at all feeling a loss here. We love our home-cooked meals.

Right now my focus is on what Dave Ramsey calls taking care of our Four Walls - House (mortgage/electric/heat), food, transportation and clothing. Next week's paycheck is going toward food/gas/coffee, filling our oil tank, car payment and half our electric bill. The following week's paycheck is going toward food/gas/coffee, our mortgage and cell phone bill.

I will give an update shortly on how we are doing on our way to debt-free living! Thanks for stopping by.

Organize a Kids Christmas Craft Day | Holiday Hospitality #3

Yesterday while us moms got together to sign Christmas cards the kiddos were all gathered in our schoolroom for an edible, Christmas craft! They made sugar cone Christmas trees.

This is such a fun craft for the kiddos, and they enjoy it so much because they can eat their masterpiece :) Most all my friends have small children, so I am always trying to think of creative ideas for the kids when they are over. It also allows for us moms to fellowship!

Here is a look at how I organized this very affordable craft for our guests:

1. First I purchased all of our supplies a week before. 

For these Sugar Cone Christmas Trees I purchased:

2 boxes of storebrand sugar cones
3 containers of green holiday frosting
2 bags of holiday M&Ms
1 box storebrand plastic spoons
Storebrand paper plates
Holiday Napkins from the Dollar Tree
Disposable holiday table cloth, also from the Dollar Tree

2. Set up craft space the night before

 I didn't put the M&Ms out right away in case curious hands made their way to them...

3. Invite guests in for the fun!

I hope you enjoyed Day 3 of our Holiday Hospitality Series! What are some ways you are opening up your home to others this Christmas season? I'd love for you to share!

Host a Christmas Card Signing | Holiday Hospitality #2

Hosting a Christmas card signing  is a great way to open your home to others and get each other in the Christmas spirit! It also motivates others to get those cards signed and sent out...before the New Year ;)

Today I invited three families over to sign Christmas cards (I had an activity set up for all the children, which I will share tomorrow). We each had our own set of Christmas cards, envelopes and stamps. Some of us wrote letters, included photos of our family, or kept it simple. My number one piece of advice is to make sure you have plenty of pens handy!

Here is a look at my Christmas cards. I purchased a box of 16 cards on Clearance from Dayspring.com. I love the Scripture!

In addition to opening up your home, you can serve affordable snacks and beverages for your guests. Here is what we had set out for the day.

I purchased two jugs of apple juice from the Dollar Tree for a $1 each, along with the disposable cups. The sparkling blueberry lemonade was $2.50 from Hannaford and the cookies were a little over a $1 per box from Walgreens (I purchased two flavors - lemon and raspberry).

I love putting snacks and treats in a cake stand. It just looks so elegant!

Before my guests left I had a surprise for them. I gifted each of them an ornament (I purchased these on clearance last year from Kmart!) and a Christmas card that contained a CD full of classic Christmas music (an awesome 75% off find from Christianbook.com) They were so surprised and thankful! It felt good to bless them!

So, there we have it! I encourage you to open up your home to a Christmas card signing. It is such a fun and productive way to get our friends together. It costs you hardly anything and allows you to be generous at the same time! Great, huh? We all are ultimately doing something to bless others this year with a Christmas card!

If you haven't already, check out our other posts in Holiday Hospitality Series!

Snowman Soup | Holiday Hospitality #1

Welcome to the first post in our Holiday Hospitality series! Here is a fun, sweet treat where your kiddos are all hands-on in the making-of and giving! The gift of Snowman Soup is sure to fit any budget. It is simply hot cocoa (you can make your own mix or purchase a box of packets), mini marshmallows and a candy cane!

I combined a coupon with a recent sale at Walgreens to purchase three boxes of Swiss Miss hot chocolate. The candy canes were also on sale too, and you'll be sure to find those for next to nothing in the upcoming weeks. The final packaging of your Snowman Soup is up to you! You can put them in ziplock baggies, mugs or plastic gift bags like the ones above - I snagged these snowman-themed bags for a $1 for a package of 8 at Family Dollar! They are absolutely perfect for this gift.

Here is how we assembled our Snowman Soup:

First I arranged all the ingredients on our dining room table for simple packaging. Here are my helpers putting together the treats.

Each package contains 1 packet of hot cocoa mix, a handful of mini marshmallows and 1 candy cane.

After closing the bag I attached a Merry Christmas gift tag with ribbon. You can also attach a cute Snowman Soup poem label! You can find many of those on Pinterest.

Here is our finished Snowman Soup gift

Ready to give to our friends when they visit!

Thank you for joining me in this series. We hope you stop by for more!

Living Generously with Less: Holiday Hospitality

To kick off my new blog, I am excited to begin a series called Living Generously with Less. The theme through Christmastime will be Holiday Hospitality.

This holiday season you don't need to hurt your finances while enjoying the act of giving. There are many ways you can bless others this time of year; in this series specifically through a hospitable heart! I'll be sharing real life, holiday hospitality that is happening in our home. The big plus is your children can be very much involved in this season of giving.

May you be blessed and encouraged to have fun, be creative and reach out to others!