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Archive for June, 2013

Plannning a No spend weekend!

June 26th, 2013 at 06:14 pm

Last weekend I kinda over did it in spending. I went to five and below got some cute weekender bags for the kids to use for pool and the ymca. I ended up getting nice speakers for my ipod and nice head phones for relaxing in bed. These items were so great for our needs I thought it was money well spent. Since I did this outside my budget, I decided have a no spend weekend for my family this weekend.I will be buying a few groceries for the meals this Friday. No more than $50-$70. I plan on fun family around the house this weekend and on demand movies and maybe swimming at local pool and doing a little family barbecue. I would greatly appreciate any ideas for fun around the house with my teenagers.

Meal planning for the week

June 17th, 2013 at 11:46 pm

I plan my weekly meals on Friday, which is payday for me. I have a family of five to feed. I like to go on Fridays to the local farmers market for produce. My budget is $100. I bought $35 in produce and spent the rest at Aldi's and walmart for our grocery needs. We use water cooler and reusable water bottles for drinking. We have orange juice and fat free milk for breakfast. I did purchase this week at five and below a water jug with a spout to make homemade sun tea and homemade lemonade using fresh lemons. The kids make breakfast for themselves in summer. They eat eggs or wholegrain cereal. Monday through Thursday we have a free summer lunch program at our local school. On Fridays they eat at a local community lunch. This week we will have a potluck on Sunday at church which will be a great help. So that leaves me to have to cook evening dinner and plan snacks for our family time at the pool and ymca.

Dinners and snacks this week will include;

Cantalope
Watermelon
Banannas
Grapes
Greek yogurt with homemade dark chocolate drizzle or honey

Fresh Romaine tossed salad
Carrots
Eggs and whole wheat bread
Roasted chicken for whole wheat wraps and tacos
Hamburger with pasta
Sweet potatoe fries
Jimmy Dean Delights
Whole grain pizzas
Whole grain pancakes and maple syrup
Rice Crispy treats
Almonds
Popcorn
Cottage Cheese
Homemade cinnamon won tons
Turkey hot dogs with whole grain rolls
Tuna for tuna salad or tuna casserole

I'm really open for some quick healthy meal suggestions. I'm a busy working single Mom and need some new ideas. Thanks!

Household Expenses

June 11th, 2013 at 10:36 pm

Morgtage $762 a month
Comcast phone,internet,cable $190 a month
Electric $220 a month
trash $65 every three months for 2 cans plus 3 bags
Sewer $130 every three months
Home Owners insurence $44 month
Auto insurence and life insurence coverage $160 a month
Cell phone $40 a month.




I really would like to cut some expenses but the only thing that would be able to save is on electric cost
if we work on saving energy and cutting cable bill. We love our entertainment so we will look at new options in July as to how we can save more on cable bill. The kids and I love our package at the present time so I will have to look into that in the future. Any suggestions?

Kids Last Day of school 2013

June 11th, 2013 at 10:25 pm

The kids last day of school was June 1oth and they don't return until the end of August. My goal is to keep them content and happy this summer so I had to plan very carefully. My first expense was summer passes to the local pool. We are out of the borough so it cost my family $290. But I figured it would pay for itself if we went a total of 7 times. They have an awesome waterslide and good music playing. They also have mini golf,basketball and a bike and skateboard park. The food stand is kinda expensive but we will be sneaking in the snacks in our backpack to save cost of food we will be packing. It is open 12:30 to 8pm 7 days a week so we will be doing lots of swimming and getting in shape. My second expense for the summer is YMCA Memberships. It is costing us $14 a month for the whole family. I really want us to get in shape as a family and excersize is going to the big part of it. We will be using fitness centers and the pool. My last expense for summer is camp. And I know it is allot but the Christain camp is just what my kids need to be spiritually blessed and there is no price to compare with the joy that God gives them. TO send the kids to camp it is $294. for the week times 4 kids. I have asked for finacial help and it it comes through they may reduce $300 off the cost. I haven't heard anything yet but hopefully I will on July 3rd. My first child will be going next week. And she can't wait she is already packing. They have a week loaded with fun and the camp has pool and water splash park. And another thing I looked into for the kids is discounted movie theater days at the mall and local theater. If the $300 gets saved off the camp price I plan on using the $300 towards the kids getting some summer clothes. They all have grown and need bigger sizes but I plan on getting the most for the money but shopping at thrift stores and goodwills. But I will buy new for shoes. So here are my plans for my kids, what plans have you made for yours this summer break?