Living Simply In A Very UNsimple World

I've been watching full time RV-ers on YouTube for 2 or 3 years... Their biggest agreement?  How freeing it is to downsize EVERYTHING in your life and focus on family.  

At church we are learning that more is not better.  Less is better.  Less IS more.  Having less stuff makes it easier to focus on God, focus on family.  

A smaller house means less rooms to clean.  Less stuff sitting around means less clutter.  

But... how?  

I mean, it seems simple.  Get off Facebook, get off the internet and work on stuff.   Spend time with your family instead of time behind a screen (says the person writing a blog...on the internet.. the irony is not missed).  Sell or get rid of all of the things you aren't using. Organize the things you do use that don't have a place in your home. It seems simple, it sounds simple.  

It's not so simple.  Especially when you use the internet to make money.  You use the internet to keep in touch with family... Because, let's face it, if I were to have to sit down and write letters.. I'm not sure how often family would hear from me.   

For the past 8 years Facebook has been my lifeline.  All of my friends and family were/are on Facebook.  Home school help, cooking help, you name it, I found a group on Facebook.  We even had our church group on Facebook. I have made some awesome friends through that source.  However, I failed to see how it was affecting my communications skills, no matter how many times my husband told me it was.  

So what has changed?  We found a church FAMILY.  

Getting to know people face to face at church....  Being among an awesome, God fearing group of people who are mostly not on social media has made me realize I need a huge detox.  

It's also made me realize that my communication skills are zilch. Nada.  I have none.  Seriously.  What I can talk about? Kids, birth, home school.. What's acceptable to talk about?... Definitely not birth. 😆😆 

Knowing that my blog is very much just our failed attempts at saving money grocery shopping, also being asked the question in a group I'm in a Facebook... I decided I needed to start this series... 

So what does living simply mean to me? 

In all honesty, I would absolutely LOVE to buy a van and a travel trailer and move in.. Get rid of this house and have a space that's OURS.   Let me explain this from my point of view... My husband's ex wife picked out this house.  Now, I am very thankful to have a roof over our heads and be protected from the elements... It is very intimidating and very frustrating to move into and claim a house that somebody else picked out, somebody else organized long before you were in the picture.  I have to be honest, there are cupboards and corners in this house I haven't ventured... and I've lived here for 9 years.  

Why? You may ask.  Because I have rearranged the kitchen a few times, finding the place for things that works best for me.   One reason-this kitchen wasn't made for a cook, let alone a short cook.  (I mean really... who puts a furnace vent RIGHT BESIDE THE STOVE?! Not to mention the stove right beside the bathroom... And I have I mentioned THERE'S NO PANTRY!?! Because there's not a pantry....) Sorry, bunny trail.... I have rearranged the kitchen... and when somebody else puts dishes away.... the dishes that have been kept in a certain cupboard for 6 years now...suddenly find themselves in the previous place... I'm missing dishes.. I kid you not, I have had some dishes disappear every time a child is born because that's about the only time I admit I need help.  Do you have any idea how intimidating it is?  It feels like I'm a guest in someone else's house... and this is my HOME.  

So... What's living simply for me?  

My first step is getting of the internet as much.  Stepping away from the devices-the cell phone, the computer, the Kindle... and get off my toosh and DO THINGS.  This may sound like a silly step to some...  But I'm realizing just HOW MUCH time I spend doing things on my computer.   And not just the odd jobs that need done, but randomly playing on Facebook, Pinterest or playing Farmville.  Am I going to completely give these things up?  I doubt it.  In the long run, we'll see.  

As I'm getting off the electronics, I'm going to be working on the chores that have been getting ignored.. Mainly, getting MY kitchen organized how I want it.   

I'm not setting myself a time limit here... because... well... life.  But that's my first goal. The kitchen.  


I'll keep y'all updated.. 

Have a great week! 
~Tabitha    

Meal Planning and Grocery Shopping/February March

How has another month gone by?  It feels like we've been snowed in all month.. Cabin fever has definitely set in amongst the kids and I.  


We are working on getting more organized around here...  I'm trying to figure out the calendar on computer for (loosely) organizing my days and meal planning... with the intent that I'll write out the menu on my chalkboard in the kitchen every week.   We'll see how that works out. 

The menu plan for this month..  it's Dennis and Grace's birthday this month. Dennis always wants steak on his birthday, Grace chose pizza-homemade pizza even (I WIN!!! LOL).   It's also their year for an ice cream cake.  So that Saturday we're doing pizza for lunch and steak, rolls, veggies, potatoes (and hot dogs for the kids) for supper.. Ice cream cake for snack.  

Breakfasts...  eggs, bacon, yogurt, farmer's hash (skillet-hash browns, peppers, onions, eggs and cheese), farmer's casserole (oven-hash browns, eggs, veggies, cheese).. Cereal, juice, coffee, cinnamon rolls, waffles... the normal variety of breakfast foods.  

Lunches.. Mondays are macaroni and cheese, Tuesdays are chicken nuggets and chicken sandwiches, Wednesdays are chicken strips and tator tots, Thursdays are hot pockets, Fridays are PB&J and chicken sandwiches.. Saturdays are sloppy joes and Sundays are sandwiches and trail mix.   

Dinner Meals
Fish
Swedish Meatballs
Pork Loin
Pizza
Teriyaki chicken
Crunch Wraps
Chili
Dorito Taco Salad
Angry Chicken
Pork Chops

.

You'll have to let me know if the calendar looks ok... I'm trying a few things.

I tried to sync my computer calendar and my phone....and now I synced my email so every time I get an email my phone freaks out. 


So that worked well. :/  

Aldi we spent 143.53...  We just had to get the crab rangoon and chicken egg rolls that were on sale.. Just because they are YUMMY.  

Walmart.. we spent 129.62.  42.09 was non grocery.. So 87.53 was grocery.

Sams we spent 319.08.  30.83 was non grocery.. so 288.25

So this month we spent  $519.31..  That's 129 a week for 7 people.. 

Well.. I got my email off my phone.. then tried to sync my calendars to get my meal plan on my phone... And my meal plan disappeared.  

'Scuse me while I go cry.   Thank God I took the screenshot.. making a meal plan is a bit of work (whether it looks like it or not).   


Have a great week!
~Tabitha

Discount Grocery Shopping

I am still navigating the world of getting my phone and my computer to cooperate and talk to each other so I can stop taking paper lists to the store... 

On top of that, my printer decided to be a pain in the rear this morning and not print my list. So there's that.  

We made the trip to S&E this morning in Huron.  

$223 dollars later..

We have realized we need to pay a bit closer attention... They had candy on sale lol.  So... what did we get for $223.  

Orbit gum (4 of them!)
Lemon Juice
Ketchup-5
Raisin 6 packs-2 (gives us 3 snacks of raisins)
Hershey baking cocoa
Refried beans-3
Coffee Mate (not a deal, but we needed it)
Salsa
Baking Spray-3
Mustard
Belvita Breakfast Crackers-2
Reese's Popped Snacks-3
Ghirardelli Minis-3 ($1 a bag!)
Nestle Toll House Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips-12 for a total of $3!
Mayo-2 (Honey!, don't let me buy ANY MORE MAYO lol)
Maple Syrup (not too much of a deal)
Tomato Sauce 8 oz cans-8 for $2
Fruit Bars (like fig newton-type)-2
Twizzlers Minis
Breast Milk Storage Bags 
Lucky Charms-3
Skinny Girl Dark Chocolate ($1 a bag!)
2" 3 ring binder (questionable deal..)
Raisin Bran-3, $.50 a box!
Froot Loops
Mio 4-$1 a bottle... It's Strawberry Orange, but the kids love it.
Cafe Bustelo, 10c a can, so we grabbed all they had..17 cans I think
Tator Tots (definitely not a deal..but we needed it)
Lindt Lindow Chocolate ($1 a bag!)
Black Licorice Twizzlers
Baking Chips...various seasonal (Christmas) flavors.. 75c a bag
Cream soda $1 a can
Wheat flour 5lb for 1.50
White flour 5lb for 1.50
Pretzels $1.50 for 4 lbs!
Pinapple Coconut sparkling water.. (not a deal, but hubby wanted to try it)
Angus hot dogs
Cheese filled hot dogs (hot dogs were .75c a package, typically $4 each at Walmart)
hashbrowns (maybe a deal?.. the patties aren't what I typically buy and the bag isnt labeled for size)
Ranch $1 for 40 oz
Ground beef 85/15, 1.99 a lb, we grabbed 12 lbs
Juice, $1 a container, typically $2-$3 a container depending on store and brand. 


So.. adding it all about we would have spent around $300 in the store for it all.  

So yes.. We did get some junk, but it's a place we can go to get snacks we wouldn't have otherwise.. Things like the baking chips will last for months. The ground beef is enough to last for 2 months, same with tomato sauce and gum will last quite awhile.