Building your Pantry

I'm working on building my pantry but I don't have alot of room for storage until the spare bedroom/office/craft room is decluttered and organized. Anyway, I found this great list on Frugal Village of the staple items you need in your pantry. This just a list to get you started. Add and remove items based on what you use.

pancake mix
biscuit mix
cornbread mix
muffin mix
salad dressings
peanut butter
pasta
rice
season mixes
jelly
soy sauce
teriyaki sauce
spaghetti sauce
oils
cooking spray
vinegar
herbs and spices
canned fruit
olives
canned tomatoes-crushed, diced, sauce, paste, puree
evaporated milk
tuna
sweetened condensed milk
canned beans-kidney beans,navy beans, chili beans
canned soup-cream soups
chicken and beef broth/boullion
all-purpose flour
bread flour
cornmeal
muffin mix
granulated sugar
confectioner's sugar
brown sugar
baking soda
baking powder
yeast
cornstarch
unsweetened cocoa
chocolate chips
vegetable shortening
oatmeal
cereal
crackers
dried breadcrumbs
barleylentils
split peas
dried onion soup mix
pie fillings
worcestershire sauce
mustard-yellow, dijon
canned vegetables-cream of corn, garabanzo beans, peas, etc
pickles
olives
hoisin sauce
salsa
corn syrup
pancake syrup
honey
vanilla
flavored extracts
hot sauce
grated cheese
puddings
jello
ketchup
mayo
creamer
powdered milk
apple sauce
marshmallows


MrsB

I got an award!

Yay!!! I'm alittle behind buttttt I received an award! Happy Hearts at Home passed along the Frugal Subversive award! How sweet and such an honor! :-)

http://happyheartsathome.blogspot.com/2007/08/blog-awards.html

I promise to pass it along as soon as I get a chance. :-)

MrsB

Life Happened

When we got internet at our house last week I assumed that would let me be able to post more on my blog. Unforunately I seem to have less time than ever. CJ is requiring more and more time as is my house. I'm tired of living in CHAOS (can't have any over syndrome....flylady.net) My house isn't terrible. Seriously I could have someone over and they not have to step over things. I would just be embrassed at the papers on the counter and coffee table and the kitchen floor not swept you know general housekeeping things that are/were lacking. So I have to choose most of the time....write on my blog about things I've done and want to do or play with my baby, spend time with my love and take care of my house. Soooo CJ's naptimes are when I get online, and that means I have to split my time between emails, my message boards, researching cloth diapers and blogging. Sooooo if I go a few days without posting please forgive me. I'm living my happy little life and I promise I'll post again!! Just please be patient and keep checking in.

OK I need to go for now. I promise to write again very soon!!!

MrsB

Yard saling!

OK I know its a couple days late to be talking about what I got at the yard sales this weekend but it was a busy weekend! :-)

Friday night we went to see my brother play baseball. His All Star made it to the State Championships!! They ended up losing but it was big accomplishment to make it that far! :-) It was nice to watch him pitch and see all my little brothers and sister. :-) AND my brother hit a home run! yay!

So Saturday morning I got up to go yard saling and MrB went with me! :-D It was a wonderful morning out with my hubby. There was only a few yard sales around here, but we live in a small town. At the first we got a onesie for CJ and Joan of Arc on DVD for a total of 50cents.

At another I got myself a shirt for 25cents (too small, will probably be passed to Sis) and MrB got a Ninetendo 64 to put in his 18 wheeler for $10

At the next yard sale, I scored CJ the book "Guess How Much I love you" there are some pencil marks inside but I think I can clean it up to look almost brand new. Also got Sis a Nancy Drew book (copyright 1934) and a Hardy Boys book (copyright 1966) and myself The Silent Bell (copyright 1975 and signed by the author!) and The Herford Aesop (copyright 1921) for a total of $2

Since my new hobby is sewing, I picked up this plastic container of fabric for $3

At yet another yard sale, I got 8 pairs of jeans for me and a pair of Nauctica shorts for my brother for 25cents each!!

And this beautiful water fountain. I've wanted this fountain since it came out in the Avon books, but it was pretty expensive. This one is missing the power cord, but it works perfect and I only paid $2. :-) Plus I wouldn't plug it up anyway. lol

And of course we can't forget Max! He's the new pup MrB got from the yard sale where I got the books and fabric. The girl was giving him and his sister away b/c they found them on the side of the road and couldn't keep them. So we got Max. :-) He is part chow and maybe part lab? He's so little! Looks barely over 6 weeks old and already listens so well! He comes when MrB whistles and stays right at his feet from the first day we brought him home.

Let's see what else..... Thats all from the yard sales. But yesterday was a good day too. :-)

I received 3 packages of cloth dipes from mamas off of diaperswappers.com I'll post pics of them soon. They're drying right now. And my first book from Paperbackswap.com "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". :-) So far I've sent one book (pd postage $2.81) and received one book (rec'd free!) and have another book on the way. :-) Sooooo if you decide you to join, and you SHOULD! Please use me as your referrer. :-) My id is cjsmommy. :-)

OK I better go. CJ is napping and I have a ton of things that need to be done!

MrsB

18 years :-)

Happy Anniversary to my parents!!! 18 years and still going strong!! Love ya!!

Its World Breastfeeding Week and MommyBabble has a wonderful post about getting your breastfeeding relationship off to a good start.
Also as part of WFMW over at Rocks in my Dryer (I know I'm a day late! I forgot it was WFMW!) there's a beautiful post at Musings of a Housewife about enjoying your baby.

One last link before I go... Amy at the Motherload is doing 30 days of savings. Every day for the month of August she will post a savings tip. Yesterdays was about getting discounts. :-)

Enjoy!
MrsB

Finding what works for us

My son is asleep taking a much needed nap from our trip to the doc with daddy and then lunch with my grandparents. I have clothes going in the washer so I have a few free minutes until its time to start supper and finish up the laundry.

If you've visited me before you know I post often about something new I'm trying in order to save us money and/or time. There was the $40 a week challenge, menu planning at the beginning of the week, and the No Spend Month Challenge. For 2 months I wrote down in my binder every single cent I spent and what we had for supper that night. But as usual some how it got pushed onto the back burner along with other failed attempts at setting up a budget. I think it was a mixture of my son who is now very active and doesn't sleep or nurse as much so there's not alot of time to keep detailed accounts of our day and my new found hobby of sewing. (Thanks Mama for letting me borrow your sewing machine!! It'll come home eventually! *smile*)
So I'm trying to decide what works for us. Right now I'm really not sure. I have a hard time picking something and sticking to it. I'm frugal, I shop the sales, I watch my spending, and all those things. But when it comes to putting it on paper or setting up a budget it goes haywire!
Sooo what are your feelings about a budget? How did you pick your system and stick to it?


MrsB

Tip Tuesday

I've been introduced to a website call Paperback Swap. Its a place to list your paperback books that you want to get rid of and get books you want. If someone requests one of your books then you pay to ship it to them which is around $1.60 if you use PBS's labels. But the books YOU request are FREE for you! :-)

And while you're at it, check out Meredith's list of Living Well on Less books for some books you might to check out. :-)


Let's see...today is also Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes so my tip for today is to hang hooks above your stove (mine are actually beside my stove above my countertop) and use them to store your pot holders and/or over mitts (I have 2 hooks, one for each). Now when you're cooking you never have to look to far for your mitts. :-)


MrsB