Financial Hope February 23, 2009

We had our second Financial Hope class and it was great. My wife, Gloria, led the class and did an awesome job. She talked about how to save money on food -- which is a pretty variable and controllable expense for most folks.

The following is her notes--

Celebrate God’s Bounty
Come To The Table

I know that no thing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame. Joel 2:26
How precious is Your lovingkindness O God! Therefore, the children of men who put their trust under the shadow of Your wings, They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house. And You give them drink from the river of your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; In your light we see light. Psalm 36:7:9
I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. Psalms 37:25
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20


Eating Well on A Budget
Key Concept: Food is a variable and controllable expense in a family’s budget.
1. Plan your menus for a week or two in advance.
2. Before shopping, take inventory of what you have on hand. Type in ingredients you have on hand and find creative recipe ideas at:
AllRecipes.com
3. Buy one or two Sunday papers and clip the coupons Ask friends to give you coupons from their papers. Pay attention to the mail coupons you receive in the mail. Be alert to coupons as you walk through the grocery store. Sign up for coupons to be delivered to you by registering at:
http://www.eversave.com/
http://www.coolsavings.com/
Ask at your favorite grocery stores if they double coupons or allow you to use a store coupon plus a manufacturer’s coupon.
4. Pay attention to the sale items and plan menus around them.
5. Stock up on sale items and have a well-stocked pantry with staple items.
6. To save time, prepare cubes of chicken breasts, brown ground beef, or marinade meats and keep them in the freezer. These FROZEN ASSETS will save you money and time.
7. Plan one or two meatless or meat as a garnish meals per week (e.g. baked potato bar, macaroni and cheese, fettucine alfredo, red beans and rice, vegetable soup, pizza, and spaghetti and meatballs)
8. Buy food at the drugstore with CVS Extra Bucks and Walgreens Easy Saver Programs. Spices are a steal at CVS!
9. To make meal-planning easier, have a weekly dinner pattern. Some people plan two weeks ahead….but HAVE A PLAN and the food on hand. For example:
Monday: Italian or Cajun
Tuesday: Grill Out
Wednesday: American
Thursday: Slow Cooker
Friday: Seafood or Chicken
Saturday: Try Something New
Sunday: Anything goes or dine out
10) Angel Food Ministries sells boxes of food for 35.00 but are worth much more. There are no income requirements. Also, they have prepared meals for seniors. In Augusta, they are available once a month at Whole Life Ministries. You have to order in advance.

Useful links:
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
http://frugaldad.com/
http://simplemom.net/menu-planning-resources/
http://biblicalwomanhoodblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/frugal-friday-how-i-plan-our-menus-part.html
http://www.recipezaar.com
http://www.5dollardinners.com/
http://www.cookinglight.com/