More than stretching your dollar

There is a lot to be said for living within your means, using what you have and being a great bargain hunter, and there are a lot of people who say a lot about it. However, it seems that there are fewer people giving suggestions on how to increase your means. I know that for many the ideal is that dad works and mom stays home with the kids, but often that just doesn't cut it. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to increase your income, here are a few suggestions to help you out.

1. Be persistent and be present- Last summer when my husband got a job here in St George as a school teacher, I thought I could easily find a job. I'm an RN. I have a bachelor's degree. I have experience. I have additional certifications. I knew that my boss will say good things about me. I was currently working for the company that owned the only hospital in the area. Yeah, well none of that matters if there are not jobs to apply for. After getting no where online, I drove the four hours one way to visit the human resources office, twice, only to have them tell me that I needed to look online and they couldn't help me. Then I did a little research. I started with Pediatrics, which is the department I was previously working in and was where I wanted to continue. I found out who the manager was and where she had worked before, so I had an idea of her experience. Then I drove down to St George again, bypassed HR and went straight to her office. She told me that that morning she had just gotten approval to hire someone one day a week and I could have the position if I liked. Victory!
2. Network- Let people know that you are looking. Ask your friends and family to be on the lookout for you. At a neighborhood party a few days ago a friend asked me if I knew of any positions for nurses' aids at the hospital. A friend of her relative had been looking, but there weren't any jobs to apply for. I told her to tell her friend to move it fast, because I knew of a couple of positions that had just opened up and weren't posted yet and if she acted she had a descent chance.
3. Be creative- Look at the talents you have and try to think of a way for them to help you out. I have a friend with four kids who wanted to increase her income. Going to work and paying for daycare didn't make it worth her time. So she went to nail school. Now she has a small business in her home that she enjoys and she can still be there for her kids. (PS If you live in Southern Utah and want her number I'll give it to you. She give a fantastic pedicure at the best price I've ever seen.) Another friend of mine give piano lessons, another voice lessons, another a small daycare out of her home. I have one friend who used to teach kindergarten, but now runs a small preschool out of her home.

Book Review: Family Funbook

I came across this book when browsing on Amazon and bought it because I remember my mother enjoying several books written by this author when I was growing up. Family Funbook: More than 400 Amazing, Amusing and All-Around Awesome Activities for the Entire Family! by Joni Hilton is full of fun and creative ideas to do with your kids. I love this book (even though I probably wouldn't pick it up if I were basing my purchase just on the cover). I am definitely going to refer to this book the next time my kids are bored and I need a new idea. This book has many, many inexpensive ways to keep the kids entertained and learning year round.  Some of them I have heard of before, but there are many that I haven't and had never occurred to me. I highly recommend it. Here are some of my favorites:

• Take a week long trip at home. Pick a destination and have an activity each day that relates to that place. Some suggestions she gives are Asia, Africa, South America and Polynesia. Each day do something related to your destination. Find books related to your vacation spot. Make crafts related to the area.Try foods and activities that are typical of the region. Her book offers dozens of ideas. There is a lot of fun and learning that could be had here.
• Make an alphabet video. Have your child point to things that start with each letter of the alphabet or make letters out of sticks or stones. Then have them pose in the shape of each letter at the end as a review. Your child will love to watch it when you're done and s/he will love that they are the star.
• Go on a nature walk. Find different kinds of spider webs. Make up stories about animals that you might find. Have a scavenger hunt. Bring crayons and paper to make rubbings.
• Play hose soccer. Give each team a hose and have them try to spray and kick a beach ball the opposing side of a given line. Good summer time fun.
• Watch falling stars- Mid-August is a good time for this.
• Record the things the funny things that your children say- I do this on my personal blog and it's the grandparents favorite part. It also reveals more of their personalities than photographs often do.
• Have a treasure hunt- Have one child hide a treasure and make a map for the others to find it. This can be repeated many times with a variety of "treasures".
• Make a sundial. Teach your children about time using a stick and 12 stones
• Ice cream muffins- Easiest muffin recipe ever. Equal parts softened ice cream and self-rising flour. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. (Give or take depending on how many muffins you make.) These were perfect. Quick, easy, delicious and my picky children even loved them.We made peach ice cream muffins and topped them with raspberry jam. 2 cups of ice cream & 2 cups of flour made nine muffins
• Draw with your toes.- See if you are right-footed or left-footed.
• Declare a Whipped Cream War- Have everyone dress in their swimsuits and equip them with a can of whipped cream.
• Ease Separation Anxiety- School is starting and to make it a little easier for you child, laminate a family picture and tape it to the inside of their lunch box to remind them that they are loved when they are away.

A Few Random Traveling Tips

Still on vacation. Here are a few things that I've learned in my travels.

• If you want to save money, leave your wallet at home. Occasionally I see souvenirs that I might buy, but I never want them so bad to track down my husband and get him to pay for them. (I didn't plan this one, but sure is effective. Still don't recommend it because it's such a pain.)
• Never purchase the kids meals from Taco Bell. A kids meal consists of a cheese roll-up, cinnamon twists and a Caprisun- $4.49 (and it doesn't come with a toy). Separately, a cheese roll-up is $0.89, the cinnamon twists are $0.89 and I have a bunch of Caprisuns in my cooler that I got for $0.10 each.
• Have change ready for tollways. This is a new thing for us Utahs. We had a small amount of cash ready for them, but we weren't expecting the one last night that wanted 30 cents.
• Have small prizes for the kids. We have been driving across the country and we don't own a portable DVD player. (Shocking, I know.) Every morning my kids get a small prize to play with. If they behave well they will get a second one in the afternoon. I've been a little surprised at how well this one has been working. Some of the things I've packed in the "prize bag": coloring books, picture books, small cars, blow-up pool toys, hair ribbons, and sticker books. On the first day they each got a bigger prize to play with on the trip (a Barbie and a firetruck sound puzzle).
• Being trapped in the car is a great time to just enjoy your kids. We discovered that my son can give a hilarious 15-minute rendition of "Twinkle, Twinkle". Yesterday we played a game with my daughter where each person took turns making up part of a story. (What's that game called anyway?) It was fun to hear the things that she came up with.
• Be flexible. We've made changes to our plans as we go, and it's all good.

The Power of Coupons

I've been debating for awhile whether I should share this, I'm generally not the type who says "ooh, look what I did" (Then 'why do I even keep up a blog?' you may ask. I'm just hoping that the things I say are of use to someone out there.) But I decided that this is important enough to share.
Last week while we were running errands my daughter told me that she wanted to buy toys for kids who don't have any. I'm ashamed to admit that my first thought was 'Mommy is trying to save money.' Then I thought 'No, this is the type of person that I want her to be. The kind of person who thinks about the needs of others. I can find a way to make this work.' The first place that I thought of where we can take toys for children without, was the DOVE Center. The DOVE Center is an local emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. I called them to see if my plan would be feasible and to find out what things they were needing. They actually were desperate for toys and games and would also appreciate toiletry items and women and children's underwear. Then I took my coupons and let my daughter pick out some toys. We managed to get $10 worth of small toys for $1.83. Then we managed to find several packages of Disney themed underwear on clearance for $3 for a 5 pack and a few packages of plain women's underwear. Then I went through my "stash". In my stash I have many toys and games that I've gotten on clearance or other ridiculously great deals. I also have multiple toiletry items that I have gotten for less than a dollar (often for free) using coupons. I filled an over-sized department store bag with items that all total cost me less than $30 (much of which I had spent previously). Once it was gathered in one place she threw a tantrum because she wanted one of the new games and I tried to explain it was for kids who didn't have anything. She pouted for several hours about it.
  A few days later, we took our bag o' booty to the DOVE Center. It's kind of difficult to find, and I suppose it's that way for the safety of its victims. It looks like a nice little place, other than the fact that it's behind a very tall locked chain-link fence. The lady who came out to take our donation was very appreciative of things we brought. My daughter was disappointed because she wanted to give the toys to the kids herself. I tried to explain to her that the kids were hiding inside because they were safe there. I tried to explain that their daddies had done mean things so they had to hide. Her four-year-old mind did not seem able to wrap around this idea. I suppose in some ways that's a good thing. So the experience was not exactly what I had envisioned. I don't think my daughter  understands what it means to go without, and she doesn't really understand that there are people out there who are genuinely suffering. But hey, she's four. Hopefully this experience and others like it in the future will help her to be a better person. And the moral of the story is you don't have to have lots of money to help those in need. Coupons can do the job too.

Crafting with a Purpose: The Write It Out Project

Yesterday I came across a service project that sounded so awesome I committed before I thought whether or not I was getting ahead of myself. The Write It Out Project was started by an Iraqi War widow who wanted to do something to help other military widows out there cope with their loss. So she decided to enlist as many women as she can to make handmade journals for these women. This is such an awesome idea. I am a firm believer that writing is a great way to deal with stress. I was so excited I committed to making five before I even looked at the instructions. Oh shoot, I don't craft and I don't own a sewing machine. But if ever there was a reason to craft, this is it. Here is a tutorial with pictures. (It doesn't look that hard.) So I'll give it a shot. And since I committed to making these journals there is now an option where you can help, no crafting involved. You can donate a few dollars to pay for shipping. Plus extra bonus, there is a giveaway involved! When you donate money for shipping, commit to making journals, blog about the service project, comment on the prizes or become a follower of We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ you can be entered into a giveaway to win one of several very cute patriotic themed prizes. Hooray for prizes! But that's not why I'm saying this, sure great bonus, but the real reason is I am so very grateful for our servicemen and women and their families. Yes, our country is not perfect, but I am so grateful for the freedoms that we have. And those freedoms come with a price, a very high one in fact. We have the freedoms that we have because of the sacrifices of the millions of young soldiers since this country was founded, many who sacrificed their lives leaving many loved ones behind. I am asking anyone who possibly can to get involved. If you craft, fantastic! If not, donate or spread the word.

BBQ Chicken and Wheat Salad

Ok, for those who haven't ever had something with wheat berries in it, just stay with me. You need to try this. Using your wheat can be so easy and very delicious. Last summer when I went to a presentation by Liesa Card, she introduced me to the wonders of wheat without a wheat grinder. First you start with this recipe:

To prepare wheatberries:

• 4 c. raw whole wheat
• 10 c. water
• 1 T. salt

Oil a large (4 quart or larger) slow cooker and fill with wheat, water, and salt. Cover and cook on low all night, 8-10 hours. Cooked wheat may be bagged and stored in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for months.

Now you are ready to make all kinds of easy delicious things (one of our favorites is wheatberry salsa) using something that is super cheap, (I got mine for 33 cents per pound at Costco) stores for a long time, and is high in fiber, folic acid and protein.

Yesterday I had success creating something new. I love it when that happens. :) I was inspired by a recipe that I saw in The Essential Food Storage Cookbook, but I made a few drastic changes, like adding food storage. Here it is.

Barbeque Chicken and Wheat Salad

• 3 cups of cooked wheatberries
• 2 cups of cooked chopped chicken breasts (I grilled mine with lime pepper)
• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can of corn, drained
• 6 small green onions finely chopped (or 1/2 a red onion chopped)
• 1 large red bell pepper chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 large ripe avocado chopped
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 2/3 cup ranch dressing
• 1 Tablespoon of lime juice
• 2 cups of tortilla chips, crushed

Mix dressing, sauce and lime juice. Mix first eight ingredients in a large bowl with dressing. Store in the fridge for two hours before serving. (Trust me I tasted before and after and it tastes so much better if you let the wheat have a chance absorb the dressing, although it is still good to just eat it right after mixing.) Serve with broken tortilla chips on top.

 

I didn't mix the avocado in the big batch because my husband is severely allergic to them.

The Verdict: I love this salad. My husband liked it. My kids wouldn't eat it and had orange slices and string cheese for dinner. :S But then my children are unfortunately more picky than the average children.