- See more at: http://blogtimenow.com/blogging/make-blogger-blog-mobile-friendly-redirect-mobile-users/#sthash.E52uouQz.dpuf The Bomans: Life on a Budget

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Life on a Budget

As a newly married couple, Sage and I are living on a budget. Okay, we don't actually have anything written down on paper. Our budget is pretty much just to spend as little as we can right now. And we have been doing very well at that.

We buy the majority of our books used on amazon.com. Sometimes we don't even get the most current edition. (saving so much money!)


We try to drive as little as possible tying to save money on gas, and save the world of course. We are very luck to live close enough to all of the essentials: bank, grocery store, campus, church and the temple.


We always pay tithing first. (our secret to success)


And we are trying to cook with minimal/inexpensive (and healthy) ingredients. And we have enjoyed the blessing of having a garden full of fresh produce in our backyard. (We love gardens and will be planting one in the next home we live.) We do most of our shopping at Smiths but look for coupons anywhere. (Smiths has a great rewards program. Check it out!)

Last night I was not feeling super excited to cook because I had not planned anything in advance. (planning out meals is a great way to reduce stress at meal time, the amount of groceries you buy, and helps you get a variety of good foods into your families diet.) I had decided upon tomato soup and grilled cheese because they were all things we had on hand. But I tried to spice it up a bit to so that my honey would like it better (he is not the biggest fan of plain tomato soup). I added a little bit of sauted onions and some fresh, cut up cherry tomatoes (from the garden), a little bit of lemon juice, a small amount of whipping cream, and some dried basil. Mmm. Then I sauted some zucchini and carrots (from the garden) and half a can of corn. Made the grilled cheese and served it with some raspberries (garden) and a few slices of a peach. My lazy, not wanting to cook attitude was quickly replaced by a creative "how can I make this simple meal exciting" attitude which was very fun. I have been learning about garnishes in one of my classes in school and practiced on this meal with a little parsley in the soup and a cherry tomato in the middle of tiny triangle sandwiches arranged neatly on a plate. With little cost, a small amount of effort and garnishes we had a great meal together. I love being creative and thrifty at the same time.

Have a great day and go save some money :) 

3 comments:

  1. Emma, it's great knowing that you're doing good! We haven't talked in forever.
    My sister runs a blog about saving money and getting great discounts all the time so after reading this post I thought I would share it with you.

    dailydealwatch.blogspot.com

    Konstanz (Constance)

    Have a great day! And I hope you find the blog useful!

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  2. Way to be thrifty, Emma! It will be a lifelong skill that takes a lot of stress out of life. Love ya! And I'm glad you are doing well :)

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  3. Hi! Thanks for sharing Constance! And it is great to hear from you Jeanine :)

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