The only way that we can save any money is to cut back on food shopping! Easier said than done! Everything seems to be getting smaller and yet going up in price. I have never really felt that our shopping budget was over the top. For a family of nine living at home and lots of visitors that join us for meals on the weekend, I was spending $600 per fortnight. Because of my silly spending spree and subsequent debt I now need to get us back on track financially and the only way I can do this is to save on food shopping. I have reduced our budget to $400 a fortnight. I don't know how I am going to go but this week was the start and I was really proud of myself because I finished my shopping at a total of $380.00. I must admit though that I spent another $200 at a large discount supermarket buying bulk items. These items should last at least a month if not six weeks. The things I bought were Dishwashing powder in bulk, Toilet paper bulk, shampoo and conditioner bulk, peanut butter bulk, vegemite bulk, mayonaise bulk, vegeta stock bulk (I couldn't live without that stuff!) Washing powder bulk, windex bulk, soap on tap bulk. I guess if you add this expense to the budget then my fortnightly shopping goes up to $500 but I have a feeling that the vegemite, soap on tap, washing powder and shampoo are going to last for two months............I'll let you know!
My trolley consisted of lots of mince! let's face it, it is the cheapest meat you can buy apart from sausages and it is so versatile. My menu plan looks like this for the next fortnight

Thursday; Home made pumpkin soup with home made rolls and jacket potatos on the side.
Friday; Chilli Con Carne with rice
Saturday; Chicken Stir Fry with Egg Noodles (lots of veg)
Sunday; Shepherds Pie with broccoli cheese
Monday; Home made meat pies with potato top and roasted oven vegetables
Tuesday; Lasagne with either salad or vegetables
Wednesday; Fettucini with zuchini and bacon (Jamie Oliver recipe)

Basically I double these recipes so that the following week we eat the same food as per the previous week.
I would like to eat better food for myself with dieting and everything but I am more focussed on the exercise to help me lose weight at the moment than struggling with strict diets.
I feel a sense of excitement about trying to achieve this. I really hope that I can succeed and see our savings go back up again.
Any ideas from frugal living experts?
For more ideas follow this link www.livingonadime.com

Well, it's Autumn again and time to start thinking about healthy, hearty recipes for those colder days!
We love soup and one of my favourite cook books is "12 months of Monastery Soups", it is inspiring, to say the least! The base for most soups is chicken stock. Yes, you can buy it ready made in the supermarket but the benefits of home made stock are well worth the effort of producing your own! It isn't difficult, just time consuming, as you need to watch it over a four hour period. Here is my favourite recipe for home made stock. I like this because the chicken and vegetables are roasted in the oven before soaking, this makes a particularly tasty stock!

Rich Chicken Stock Recipe

November 19th, 2007 by alice Tags: Chicken, Rich, Stock

INGREDIENTS

1. 4lbschicken bones, chopped
2. 3largeSpanish onions, quartered(skin left on)
3. 1/2headcelery, coarsely chopped
4. 2largecarrots, coarsely chopped
5. 3tablespoonsolive oil
6. salt & freshly ground black pepper
7. 2bay leaves
8. 1/4cuppeppercorns
9. 1bunchfresh flat-leaf parsley, remove stems
10. 6sprigsfresh thyme

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Combine chicken bones, onions, celery, and carrots in a large roasting pan; toss with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Roast until the bones and vegetables
   
   are a rich golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stockpot, add 12 cups cold water, and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4 hours, skimming the scum that rises to the top with a ladle every 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and strain through a mesh strainer into a clean pot.
7. Place back on the stove over high heat and cook until reduced by half.
8. Use immediately or let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

It's not good looking for math curriculum! I end up on all the home school web pages and start looking at everything else as well as math! Now my head is full of a wonderful looking Australian History curriculum from Adnil Press, some interesting looking Writing books based on great novels and Singapore Grammar!! Why oh why did I have to click on all the pdf sample pages and get absorbed with it all??? I was only looking for Math and now I am full of ideas about everything else. I think I will go back and sit in my cave!

Home schooling is amazing. New products come and they generate heaps of discussion! suddenly everyone is changing over to the "new product". Well, I have been out of the home school loop for a while now because I knew that my restlessness with curriculum was due in part to reading about what other people used and then feeling dissatisfied with my choice! I was drawn back into the loop because for nearly six weeks my eldest children have not done Math! They finished their book in MUS and I haven't had the finances to upgrade. With two children using the same book it will cost me $190...........that is a lot of money in anyone's language! So I have spent the past few days browsing math curricula and trying to come up with a solution. I have decided to try Singapore Math with Ben, it has great reviews and to be honest with you, the price is great! Much better for my budget. High school is a bit harder! Both MUS and the very popular Teaching Textbooks are going to set me back financially. Then again, is cost an issue? well, Yes! for me right now it really is! and the frustrating thing is that even the books that are used for math in Australian High Schools don't come close to the figures of Homeschooling Material. I like the format of MUS, I like having the teacher available on DVD!! My kids aren't overly keen on the man that presents the teaching and I must admit he reminds me of a teacher that I didn't like much in High School, but all said and done........it works! But, Yes! that word again...........I need to be wise with my finances (see my post below!!) so right now I am looking at another new kid on the block, Life Of Fred. Wow! the price is very appealing! and I have read the sample pages and they sound great! but I wonder if it will be enough explanation for my children? Will they miss their online teacher? Does Life Of Fred come with an online teacher? All these questions and more!!
Anyone using Life Of Fred? Shall I or not? Then again will it be no math for another term or take a risk? decisions, decisions, decisions..............

I feel so good! it is such a relief to be free of my secret burden. It isn't time to hide and feel sorry for myself! it is time to make changes and move on! YAY!!
I have researched courses in massage and other things that interest me like aromotherapy. There are lots of short courses run by TAFE and most of them have two options, day and night time classes! The night time classes run from 6-9.00pm one evening per week for eight weeks. Obviously I need to do a number of courses like these to gain a certificate four but I am in no rush. I am quite happy to leave the children for a couple of hours until Steve gets home. It won't affect my school duties or anything else at home.
I think I might join a home group at church. Steve isn't keen and this has stopped me from doing it for a few months now, just waiting for him to change his mind. I feel like I need the support of other christians in a small group setting, not so much the Bible study aspect! I hope that eventually Steve will join me but I guess he has his reasons (although I'm not quite sure what they are)
I'm loving the gym! I love the exercise and the fellowship. The instructors are so supportive of me and continually give me praise and encouragement. It does wonders for my self esteem!
I've ordered a book called "Confessions of a former fat girl" By Lisa Delaney. I didn't want any more diet books, I've got enough of them, but I wanted to be inspired by someone who has made exercise part of their lifestyle and has the positive results that go with it!
Life is good, God is good and I am walking in victory!

Thanks Jess for the following link to an article by Pastor Kong Hee. I am absolutely going to get a tattoo now!!! LOL.........."Oops, dad is reading this as I type!"
Always was a rebel without a cause.............might go nice with my new santitary slippers.

What About Tattoos?

Tattoos have become a mark of the 21st century. According to the August 4, 2008, issue of U.S. News & World Report, more than one quarter of those under the age of 30 adorn their skin with at least one. No longer is tattoo something reserved only for gang members, convicts, delinquents or social outcasts. In fact, many of the preachers’ kids of the largest churches in Australia, America and Europe have them on their bodies. And these PKs are by no means rebellious or unspiritual. Most of them are doing excellent jobs leading youth, music and creative ministries. Some are even deliberately using their tattoos as a bridge to connect with the unchurched in outreach efforts. However, for most people, a tattoo is simply a means of stylistic expression. Many middle-aged women may not tattoo patterns and designs, but they go to their aestheticians to tattoo their eyebrows, eyeliners and lip colors.

So, is tattooing a sin? Are Christians allowed to have them?

Those who argue against it often quote Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.” The word for “tattoo” in its original Hebrew is qa-aqa, which appears only this one time in the entire Scripture. Proper hermeneutic requires us to read any Bible passage with the actual context in mind. Practically all Bible commentaries agree that the context of Leviticus 19 is God prohibiting the Israelites from adopting the religious practices of the pagan nations surrounding them. Adam Clarke’s Commentary of the Old Testament says that the pagans were carrying “marks on the body in honor of the object of their worship … for superstitious purposes … in honor of different idols.” Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible says that the practice “had religious significance among Israel’s pagan neighbors.” But what if there is no religious, superstitious or idolatrous implication? Is a believer allowed to tattoo then?

Technically, if one takes the view that Leviticus 19 prohibits tattooing for all people in all circumstances, then for consistency’s sake, one must also abide by all the letters of the law here. That includes no shaving around the sides of the head, and the mandatory keeping of beards for all men (v27), which is a near impossibility for any serving in the military today. That also includes not wearing clothes made of different fabrics (v19). Should we then also continue with slavery and the keeping of mistresses, both accepted practices during the ancient days of Leviticus (v20)? Should we continue the Old Testament dietary restrictions like no eating of pork, shrimp, crab or shellfish? What about headscarves for women? Do we need to enforce that on all Christian women today? Most of us will agree that the answers to all the above are an emphatic no.

Next, is God Himself abhorrent to tattoos? God says in Isaiah 49:16, “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands. Your walls are continually before Me.” The word “inscribe” in Hebrew means “to engrave.” The scholars of The Living Bible simply translate that as “I have tattooed your name upon my palm.” When John saw a vision of God’s chosen 144,000, they were “sealed” and “written” with the Father’s name on their foreheads (Rev. 7:3; 14:1). Those words in the original Greek mean to “mark,” “stamp” and “engrave.” The book of Revelation also talks about false worshipers receiving the mark of the beast, which were called stigmata among the Greeks. To this Paul refers when he says, “I bear in my body the marks (stigmata) of the Lord Jesus” (Gal. 6:17). Whether the prophet Isaiah and the apostles John and Paul are speaking metaphorically or otherwise, one thing is for sure, body markings are not always repugnant to God. As such, we must be careful not to paint them as evil or sinful in a broad, general stroke.

Theologians, like Tom Beaudoin, have done studies on youths who pierce or tattoo their bodies. They discovered that youths do that when they have had profound experiential encounters. Things that impact them deeply, like when they fall in love, get their hearts broken, graduate, start a new job, achieve something they are proud of, or lose a loved one through death. To the youths and young adults of the 21st century, tattooing (and body piercing) are often not something vain or rebellious, but more like a rite of passage. It is their way of expressing the spiritual in the physical, even at the expense of experiencing some bodily pain.

For most people, tattooing today is simply a means of personal and stylistic expression, much like clothing, makeup, hairstyle, body-toning and fashion accessorizing. There is nothing religious, superstitious and rebellious to the wearer; it is simply for aesthetic value.

Because tattooing is designed to last forever, and removal is painful and expensive, you should enter into it only after much consideration. Ask yourself the following:

• Am I at a legally acceptable age to get a tattoo?
• If I live with my parents, would they support my decision?
• Would I still want this tattoo when I get older?
• Am I really comfortable having it even if people may “unfairly judge” me?
• If my tattoo is visible to others, is it appropriate for my line of work?

Ultimately, tattooing is a personal choice that, more often than not, reflects neither a rebellious nature nor a religious inclination. It is clearly written in the Bible that God looks beyond the surface and sees the heart of a person. We must be careful not to judge a believer with tattoos as loving God less than the one without.

Don't you just love home made gifts? I love looking for new ideas and was so thrilled to find these wonderful slippers made from sanitary pads. I mean, how cheap are they going to be to make? And what a great way to mop floors, just use your slippers and get rid of the mop Fantastic for new mums in hospital. What a wonderful idea. I am going to start on some today for my lovely girls, Sarah, Jess, Beck and Rach. They will be thrilled...........I just know it!


Anyone else interested? Susan? Lisa? Amanda? I can make you all a pair if you like............