Sep
2022

Changing Grocery Shopping Habits in 2022

categories: food, homemaking, recipes

I feel like the last two years we have been playing dodgeball, ducking and hiding, just trying to stay in the game — that’s how I’ve felt running my home the last 2 years when it comes to meals. In this post I am sharing how I changed my grocery shopping habits in 2022.

We are supposed to be back to “normal” now, but with inflation and craziness continuing to happen I just want the “dodgeball game” to end.

We are currently a family of 8! We welcomed our 6th child early this spring, and I don’t know if it was the fear compilation of the last two years while grocery shopping or simply my ever-changing hormones, but I started to feel super defeated. One of our largest expenses, food, has gotten way out of hand this year.

I really had to sit and review my menu plans and grocery receipts to look at inflation, what I’m buying and realized it wasn’t necessarily me letting grocery shopping slide, inflation is happening — but I decided something had to change. So here is how I started changing my grocery habits in going into the second half of 2022:

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Jun
2022

Making Strawberry Jam: Freezer Friendly

categories: food, recipes
strawberry jam

Strawberries are favorite around here and once we start to enjoy all the fresh garden grown produce -it’s all we want! I am always itching to find different ways to enjoy the fresh produce as long as we can without getting tired of it. Being able to create freezer friendly recipes to keep fresh produce for later is a way to enjoy the summer fresh taste of strawberries and other fruit.

My family enjoys making strawberry jam, and way before I had the knowledge to can or the space to preserve in a large quantities, I would make everything freezer friendly. I may have started making strawberry jam freezer friendly as my only means to store, but it’s still a favorite for all types of summer fruit.

My goal with this website is to encourage you to learn a variety of homemaking skills!

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May
2022

Meal Planning and Money Saving Tips

categories: food, homemaking

Do you enjoy spending time in the kitchen with new recipes? Do you meal prep so you can save a ton of time with your busy weekly schedule? Do you cook just so you can eat?

A big part of money saving in the kitchen is meal planning, but I also know it feels a little “plain jane” sometimes, but it doesn’t have to be – it’s time to learn some tips and get creative. I’m someone who enjoys being in the kitchen cooking but is actively searching for ways to save money with the recent spike in food inflation. No matter where on the scale you land, these meal planning and money saving tips will help.

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Feb
2022

2022 Fill Your Freezer February Challenge

categories: Fill Your Freezer February
freezer cooking banana bread

I am super excited for this year’s Fill Your Freezer February Challenge albiet a little late getting started this month due to snow storms here in Indiana!. This year lines up perfectly for me, because baby number 6 is due at the beginning of April! So, I will be specifically focused on freezer cooking on items that will help my life be a little easier when I’m consumed with baby snuggles!

The Rules:

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Jan
2022

Easy, Low-Cost, Low-Key, Gender Reveal

categories: family fun, pregnancy, YouTube

We have never chosen to have a big gender reveal, and with baby number six has been no exception. It has just been my husband and I, or as we had more kids, we included the kids by bringing them to the ultrasound. The difference with this pregnancy because of the Covid precautions, no one but me was allowed in my doctor appointments.

I wanted to come up with a something a little more fun than just coming home and announcing, “it’s a ….” to the family. So, after a couple weeks I came up with this easy, low key gender reveal idea one night while lying in bed trying to fall asleep (thanks pregnancy insomnia).

easy gender reveal idea
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Jan
2022

2022 Goals

categories: Holidays, personal growth

At the end of every December, I always take the time to reflect on the year and start planning for the upcoming New Year. And every year I feel like I get a little better at setting more realistic goals and my 2022 goals are no exception.

I made a “master” list for my 2022 goals, but then I took some items and have specifically set up to focus on in the first quarter of this year — because baby #6 is due in April! Granted, items on my list include getting certain things done before the baby boy arrives, but finding a way to breakdown your master goal list will help not to become overwhelmed with so many plans and ideas for a new year.

Tip for 2022 Goals: When making your list, remember to find things to STOP doing– especially within our daily habits and routines.

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