Frugal Friday: PFTPL Pantry Challenge

This week, for Project Simplify, we've been working on our fridge, pantry, and freezer.

By about Tuesday, though, I realized that what I needed was not a new organization ....

but TO EAT THE FOOD!

Do you know that we have 6 boxes of cereal in our pantry. Six!

Most of us Moms have noticed the price of groceries these days.

How much money is sitting in my pantry and fridge?

Paid for.

FREE FOOD!

So, in an effort to save money, AND clean out our stockpiles .... We're going to start living out of the pantry and fridge. Let's see how many days we can do it! We might be having cereal for dinner, but are we going hungry? NOPE!

If you dare .... join me ....

The 1st Annual PFTPL Pantry Challenge

The details:
** Leave a comment on this post letting me that you are participating
** Live on less than $20 in groceries per week (think milk, bread, etc)
** Use your $20 to buy staples and items that you might need to finish off another food
** If you do not spend all of your $20 each week, then you can roll the change to the following week.
** Fresh fruits and vegetables are excluded. Eat all of those you want!
** Check in on Fridays and comment on the post that I will make for those participating.

The prize:
** The person who can go the longest eating out of their pantry/fridge will get a $5 Starbuck's gift certificate sent/delivered to you.

Good luck!

Project Simplify: Pantry/Fridge

Now that we're back in town, I'm jumping back in to the Project Simplify for this week. After the first week of cleaning out our Master Closet, I'm thoroughly convinced. I still get this moment of joy just peeking in to our closet and seeing it organized.

So, this week's project is the pantry and fridge.

I'm thoroughly convinced that the best way to clean out the pantry is ..... just eat the food. Do you realize how much money is sitting in there? How much food just waits from week to week to be eaten?

So, I'm challenging you to join me in doing some .... EATING! and cleaning!

Click HERE for all the info from Simple Mom about the Project Simplify challenge.

Community Supported Agriculture

The daffodils are blooming. The tulips are peeking out their heads. The signs of Spring are all around.

Spring not only means warmer weather and beautiful scenery, but fresh food! This is the best time to get a refresher course on where to find the good stuff!

Have you started to think about how you will seize the opportunity for fresh, healthy produce this Spring and Summer?

One of our favorite places in the past has been the NC Farmer's Market downtown. There are also now markets at North Hills (starting April 16th) and in North Raleigh (starting May 1st), though, you can find them where you are, too. Click HERE to find them across the country.

One of the best times to go is on NC Farmer's Market special days. They have samples of the chosen fruit or vegetable, recipes, and discounts. It's great fun for kids!

If you are more of the rugged kind, you can start planning now to go pick your own produce.
Pick your own NC guides you to farms that allow you to pick your own. It won't be long before strawberries are ready!

This year, we are trying Lee's Produce. This service will be bringing us a box of fruits and veggies each week right to our doorstep. Boxes range in price from $21 to $25. First boxes start arriving April 8th, so I'll keep you posted!

One Thousand Gifts: (For) Saturday, Mar 26th, 2011

With an unplanned trip and funeral in recent days, our days have been busy, but not without their blessings ....

#71: A joy-giving, organized master closet
#72: A healthy bundle of answered prayers in little baby Jacob
#73: Answering machine messages from friends
#74: My loving husband who picks me up when I'm down
#75: The new Whole Foods N. Raleigh
#76: Time with my brother and sister-in-law
#77: Wisdom from experienced friends (Thanks Auntie Linda!)
#78: Being home
#79: Tax returns
#80: Swagbucks

Read about the original One Thousand Gifts list from Ann Voskamp HERE.

Frugal Friday: Swagbucks

One more way that I've found to help our family financially is Swagbucks. Swagbucks basically works on a chain premise. You go through their website to find deals, coupons, etc. and they make advertising and referral dollars that they then pass on to you in the form of points (called "swagbucks").

Swagbucks allows you to earn points that can then be used on useful items like gift cards (restaurants, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Travelocity, Southwest Airlines, etc). By signing up alone, you almost have enough for a $5 Amazon gift card. In just the past few weeks, I've earned enough for two $25 Travelocity gift certificates that I'm going to use for our vacation.

I have earned super Swagbucks by purchasing a Living Social deal, which I would have bought anyway. I've also earned for logging in, answering a daily poll, etc.

I've earned Swagbucks for using coupons that I printed through them from coupons.com (Another website that I would use anyway).

And yet another way that you earn Swagbucks is by telling other people about .... Swagbucks. When you signup through me, then both of us earn SBs.

All those little points add up to some great ..... FREE stuff!

Click HERE to sign up for Swagbucks!

Francis Chan Videos on Desiring God

Desiring God offers lots of incredible resources to grow and learn in your faith.

Check out this link for all of Francis Chan's talks given in association with Desiring God. (Click HERE)

Sermons offered include:
Think Hard, Stay Humble: The Life of the Mind and the Peril of Pride (Oct 2010)
Prayer as a Way of Walking in Love: A Personal Journey (Feb 2011)
Why We all Need the Gospel (Feb 2011)

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

One Thousand Gifts - Sat, Mar 19th, 2011

#61: Tulip leaves peeking out
#62: Peace between family members
#63: Merciful death for my grandmother
#64: The memory of fun cards received from my grandparents for St.Patrick's Day
#65: Warmer Weather (How many times can I be grateful for one thing?)
#66: Majestic blooming trees
#67: Thoughtful gifts from a great-grandmother to her great granddaughter
#68: Precious memories
#69: Willing friends who jump to help when needed
#70: A God who celebrates even in tears