Hello Hi there and welcome to the next edition of the HBHW newsletter. I received quite a few wonderful emails yesterday after sharing the "Creative Ways To Eliminate Holiday Debt" ebook. I'm glad it will be helpful to quite a few families this year. What made me even happier though is
reports from quite a few of you about not going into any kind of debt for Christmas and cutting back on presents. It's something I talk about to toward the end of the book and I'm glad many HBHW readers have already learned that lesson and have no need for the book.
On a completely different
note, I was thinking about how we as keepers of the home and family often take care of everyone but ourselves. We feel guilty if we don't take care of everyone else first. It made me think of the oxygen mask announcement they make on planes. As moms we're tempted to take care of the kids first, but they stress over and over again how important it is to put on our own mask first, then help
others.
Putting myself first isn't something that comes naturally to me. In fact it's something I struggle with and work hard at. This year I want to make sure I do something for me at least once a week. It doesn't have to be much... it could be just brewing a cup of tea and curling up on
the couch with a book... or going over to a friend's house for an hour to chat. The hard part is to do it even when there is laundry piling up, or I could be playing a board game with my daughter instead. So far I'm noticing I'm a better wife and a nicer mom when I'm setting aside a little time here and there just for me. The housework still gets done and we are having a great time as a family
too.
I'd also like to invite you to join myself and Tracy Roberts from MomsInABlog.com over at www.HomemakersHutch.com. We just wrapped up the January issue of our digital magazine and it's my favorite one yet. If you need a little inspiration along with some great frugal tips and recipes, you don't want to miss it. In fact we are focusing all year on making sure we take some time for ourselves and have
some tips and ideas along those lines in each issue in 2015.
In this issue I have a yummy new recipe for you that cooks breakfast overnight
in the crockpot. I also share a new frugal tip and an extensive article on meal planning.
Enjoy!
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"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."
- Confucius
Featured Recipe of the Week |
Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
- 12 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 bag (32 oz)
bag frozen hash browns
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 small onion
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Chop up the
bacon once it's cooled a bit. Chop your onion and set aside. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat them. Add the salt and pepper. Pour about 1/3 of the hash browns into your slow cooker. Top with a layer of 1/3 of the bacon, onion and cheese. Repeat two more times, ending with the onion. Save the cheese for now. Pour the egg mixture over the layers, then top with the last 1/2 cup of cheese. Cook on low for 10 to 12 hours
(overnight) and enjoy for breakfast.
A Few Related Recipes
You're welcome to share the recipe on Pinterest, Facebook etc. I'm also sharing a lot of recipes on the HBHW Facebook page. Click on through to check it out. As always, likes, comments and shares are much appreciated. :)
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In "Should I Be A Stay At Home Mom?", Jill Cooper explores the benefits and drawbacks of staying at home. You will learn practical ways to determine if you can afford to live on one income and things to
consider to help you decide whether or not staying at home is for you.
You'll also find a section of practical tips and ideas to help you in your journey if you decide to stay at home, including tips for how to organize your days, how to manage your family, how to adjust to the job of staying at home and how to reduce the stress on your family. Order the Book on
Amazon |
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Wouldn't it be great to have access to a magazine, that’s packed full of hands-on advice, delicious recipes for things your family will actually eat and plenty of support from moms and homemakers just like you? http://www.HomemakersHutch.com It's a digital magazine we are putting together each month full of fun recipes, crafts and helpful tips and ideas. The January issue is packed full of over 100 pages of tips, ideas, recipes and articles to help us make 2015 the best year
ever. Here's what's you'll find in the
January issue: - 10 Steps To An Awesome 2015
- 10 Questions t ask BEFORE making New Year’s Resolutions
- 10 Ways To Help You Get Organized
- Organizing Your House: Why You Need to Do It
- Can Your Family Really Benefit from Better Organization?
- 5 Tips to Get Your Family Organized
- Make Organization Your New
Habit
- Getting Organized One Room at a Time
- 4 Tricks to Master for Mealtime Organization
- 3 Tips for Creative Organizing
- 4 Tricks for Family Organization
- 3 Things You Need to Better Manage Your Family’s
- Time
- 4 Fast Tricks for Busy Moms
- 6 Ways To Live Frugally
- Frugal Living 101
- How To Save With Coupons
- How to Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck
- Eating In Will
Save You Money
- 8 Tips for Affording to live on One Income
- Savings Ideas So Big They’ll Even Help You Buy A House
- New Recipes to Try
- 1 Week Meal Plan With Grocery List
- Healthier Pasta And Chicken Tossed With Lemon Basil Oil
- Ginger Mint Green Smoothie
- Lemon Crusted Pork with Chive Potatoes
- Chicken à la King
- Chicken Francese – Lightened Up
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Home
Remedies That Actually Work
Top 10 Home Cold and Flu Remedies
Top 10 Home Hair Remedies
Top 10 Home Skin Care Remedies
Top 10 Home Stomach Remedies
- Cranberry Almond Lip Balm
- Little Love Diaper Rash Cream
- Kickstart Your New Year Resolution With Kombucha!
- 53 Organic Living Tips
- 41 Ways To Get Healthier
- 20 Easy to Adapt Diet Tips
Ready to give it a try? Subscribe to Homemaker's Hutch for $5 a month. |
We're having a lot of fun talking about all things frugal and homemaking on Facebook. Join in the discussion at the Hillbilly Housewife Facebook page.
Be sure to like the page so you don't miss a thing. Here's just one of this week's topics. |
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No matter what we do, we get quite a bit of junk mail and of course there are bills coming in each week. It all adds up to quite a bit of paper, particularly from the envelopes. If you look at an envelope, there’s quite a bit of white paper to work with.
I used to take it all straight to recycling, but started to get one extra use out of it first (before the recycling bin). For the past few years, I’ve been using old
envelopes as scratch paper. I open my mail and then stick the envelopes into a small basket on my kitchen counter. From there I use it as needed. I use it as scratch paper instead of the small notebooks I used to buy regularly.
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Here are just a few things I use old envelopes
for:
- Daily to do list.
- My weekly menu
- Grocery lists
- Notes to family members
- Quick reminders for myself, my husband and my daughter.
- Phone messages.
- Keeping track of what row I’m on in a knitting pattern.
- Bookmarks.
Featured Article of the Week |
The concept of planning and preparing 3 meals a day, 21 meals a week or 1,092 meals a year is pretty mind boggling when you stop to think about it. Doing it all while short on cash is even more challenging. This is where the art of menu planning comes into the picture. By taking the time to plan ahead of time we are more likely to stay within our budget and we are able to find ways to use up what we already have on hand.
Using up food we already have is the best way to stretch limited funds.
Essentially there are 3 different menu planning methods that work well when you’re on a tight budget. Your job is to choose the method that fits best into your lifestyle and then to stick with it. Meals are eaten whether we plan them or not. By taking the time to think things through in advance we control the cost, nutritional content and the time given to each meal.
It’s the only way to turn 1,092 low-cost meals a year into a manageable task.
Three Menu Planning Methods
The Night Before: This is the method that takes the least forethought. It provides the most control over waste and the opportunity to use up leftovers. Plan at least the dinner you intend to serve the next day and have a good idea for lunch.
A Week, Fortnight or Month at a
Time: I prefer to plan a fortnight at a time. Others prefer to plan for a week or month. Whichever timespan you choose the process is the same. This method allows you to take good advantage of weekly supermarket sales. It requires you to shop once a week.
Rotating Menus: When you are seriously pressed for time and your family is very picky, this is the best method to use. You plan out 10 to 20 complete menus and then rotate them, serving a
different one every day. It limits variety, but there are no surprises. Since you are so familiar with each meal you are able to prepare it more quickly, or make and freeze several batches at once and spend the least amount of time in the kitchen. Read the rest of the article, comment, share and bookmark. |
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Please don't forget to "Pin" these articles and posts when you head to the Hillbilly Housewife website to read more. It helps get the word out about the site and the newsletter. Thank you! |
A Little Something Inspirational...
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That's it from me for this week. I hope you and your family have a fun-filled but also peaceful week. We had a very cold few days and then nothing but rain. Sadly there were no snow flurries to be seen. Today I'm doing my best to get ahead on household and work chores. School is out Friday and Monday and we're all looking forward to a long
weekend.
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