Managing Finances Effectively for Homemakers

Managing homes are just not that easy as many people may think. Managing finances for the family, for instance, is a very tricky part of homemaking. Knowing how to correctly manage finances is always a priority for families who make do of an average income. Apart from that, there’s also some need to have savings from it for unexpected emergencies. Money is a resource that needs to be maximized and conserved. So here are some tips you might just want to check out in order to manage your home finances effectively:

Follow a Budget and Save

Allocating money for all your needs each month is crucial to maximize the value of whatever income that comes in every month in the household. Separate the utilities, necessities and unnecessary expenditures. If there’s something left, you may take half of that for weekend fun and save half of it in the bank. It’s essential for families to have ready funds in case you may needed money then there’s a fund ready to accommodate that.

Figure out Areas of Overspending

When preparing weekly or monthly budgets, you may notice some things where you get to overspend a little. Junk foods, hike in electric bills or some unnecessary purchases of things you don’t really need. After determining this, you’ve got to act on it to reduce the money that slips right through that hole. Being wise in spending your bucks would benefit everyone in the family in the long run.

Being a Wise Shopper

Always remember that a penny saved is a penny earned when it comes to grocery shopping. There are various ways women can save on groceries and shopping. You just have to be creative to be able to save on things that you can buy smartly – like any money saved from shopping can be used for birthday and Christmas gifts. Use coupons and buy things on sale or that are discounted. It won’t hurt your ego if you can save pennies in your purse.

These tips are just the simplest ways any homemaker can follow to save that hard-earned money. However, we advise against too much scrimping that you compromise some rewards that all members of your family deserve. Be sure to set aside something for entertainment or leisure.

Well, here’s a rhubarb recipe from Susan Lanik:

• 5 cups chopped (½ inch pieces) rhubarb
• ? cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Zest of 1 large orange
• 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats

Direction:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Evenly divide rhubarb among eight 1-cup ramekins. Combine flour, sugars, cinnamon, and orange zest in a large bowl. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Toss in oats and crumble topping over rhubarb. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling, 40 to 50 minutes. Serve warm.

This dish makes 8 servings and it takes 1 hour and 5 minutes to prepare this. This rhubarb crisp’s nutritional content are as follows:  protein (5.4 g) , fat (l6g),  carbohydrate (64g),  fiber (4g), sodium (11 mg), cholesterol (38 mg) and  calories is 410.

Aside from having ample ventilation, we also need enough space for tables, chairs, range, sink, and cupboards. A cramped kitchen brings too much inconvenience. This is why this room should have a layout that maximizes your available space. The cleanliness of the kitchen should also be a top priority. Everyone has much distaste for messy a kitchen because it reflects some neglect of, “housework”. Having unpleasant surroundings in the kitchen should be a no-no. The kitchen should be kept light, airy, and tidy, while the utensils bright and clean so that it will be inspiring to work in it.

To prevent germs and molds to invade this space, the kitchen floor should be free from moisture and grime. Having concrete or tile floors will be an advantage compared to wooden floors. Cleanliness in the kitchen is always important and this can be achieved by getting all woodwork in and about the kitchen coated with polished. We must remove stains and grease spots in all our wood furniture s o that they do not penetrate them. A damp cloth should always be accessible to wipe all mess a promptly as possible.

Of course, elements of design and beauty should be kept in place in the kitchen. You can hang pictures and fancy jars to improve the overall look of your kitchen. You can also add a few pots of flowers and decorative plants on the window ledge. Having a well-designed and functional kitchen is always a dream for us homemakers and putting an effort to achieve all the tips mentioned above will surely make your daily kitchen experience always pleasant.

A rut is not a good thing to be in, especially in a part of the house where it’s supposed to exude warmth, with all sorts of tempting aromas wafting from stovetops and ovens. A rut usually stems from a lack of drive to move forward. What’s lacking sometimes is a good working atmosphere, or simply some style.

A makeover would do the trick to cure a rut. Your kitchen might be a breeding ground for the outdated and is in danger of still looking the same after 20 years. This probably does not make your kitchen a classic; but simply makes it look tired. Inject it with some new design inspirations and turn your stale, lifeless kitchen into a spicy, modern space.

One place well known for its exotic flavors and spices is the up-and-coming countries of Asia. You can bring some of this Eastern ambiance into your kitchen with the addition of a few pieces of Asian furniture. Classic Oriental furniture is known to have that unique style while being functional at the same time.. For those who are looking to add a classic Asian flavor to modernize their interiors, there are furniture design houses that specialize in recreating the designs of the East to fit the homes of the West.

There are many styles of Asian, or antique Oriental furniture that can be found. For those imagining a black and red, lacquered look in their kitchen, remember that Asia is is a very culturally diverse continent and you don’t have to be stuck in this stereotype. Oriental furniture, like the Japanese tansu, can be made of materials like cypress and maple, and fitted with steel. In adding elements of Asia into your kitchen, open your mind up to the different styles for your kitchen cabinets, pantries, kitchen islands and counter tops. Companies that specialize in customizing kitchens can aid you in getting the perfect blend of Oriental furniture with Western tastes to achieve a classic, yet modern look.

With these touches of Oriental furniture, you can find new inspiration to cook up meals that will bring not only your kitchen, but your whole household to life.

• 4-6 large grapefruit – sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 6 rainbow trout (or other favorite catch!)
• chopped fresh parsley and/or thyme
• 4 fresh lemons
• freshly ground pepper

Square grapefruit slices and place on grill, slices touching, so there aren’t any spaces between slices…flame will come up and burn fish in those spots. For 6 fish, use about 3 or 4 rows of 8 slices per row.

Take fish that has been cleaned (heads & tails off!) and sprinkle insides with pepper and place a few thin slices of lemon inside. Sprinkle with herbs. Close fish and place on grapefruit. All lined up in a row!

Grill 10-12 minutes (depending on size of fish). Using a spatula and a fork, CAREFULLY turn fish. Grill another 10-12 minutes.

Remove skin and bones and enjoy… citrus gives it a fresh flavor and keeps it from burning or sticking to grill!

Serve with fresh fruit salad and a baked potato. Easy, nutritious & delicious!

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 3 oz. can sliced mushrooms (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup pizza sauce
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 1 small can sliced black olives – drained (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine meat, milk, bread crumbs and salt & pepper. Push into pie pan, patting mixture against sides and bottom. Spread pizza sauce on top of meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar and mushrooms and/or olives if desired. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Let sit a few minutes. Cut into wedges and serve. Pass extra warmed sauce.

Serves 4-6. Serve with a green salad and soft, warm breadsticks.

The first thing I changed was my approach to meal planning. I used to write out a week’s worth of menus, or more. Then I would make up a shopping list for those menus and all the other things I needed for the week or month. Then off I’d go to the grocery store and get all that was on my list.

Let me say, though, that if all you do is take a list to the grocery store, you’re better off than shopping without a list. But there’s more you can do to save. Rather than plan out menus that sound good for the week, plan your menus around the grocery store flyers. These come with your newspaper or in the mail. Some stores also send out coupon books. Sit down with these and plan your menus from what’s on special at the store this week. If chicken is on special, plan several chicken meals. If hamburger or roast is on special, plan several meals that use these meats. Or stock your freezer!

Some stores have buy one-get one free specials. If it’s something you use regularly…stock up! Coupons are good ONLY if you usually use the product. Why pay a little for something you normally wouldn’t buy at all?

Another way to cut your food bill is to buy in bulk. Make sure, though, to check the unit price of the item to make sure you’re really getting a good deal. If the unit price of a bulk product is low (you need to be aware of prices to know this), stock up on the product. Paper products and meat are usually great to buy in bulk. If you freeze the meat in meal-size portions, you’ll be able to thaw what you need each night, and it won’t spoil.

I don’t know about you, but my family goes through juice and snack foods in record time. My kids can polish off a jug of juice and a box of granola bars during one episode of Rugrats! This gets very expensive. Instead, I stock up on juice when it’s on super special and I buy graham crackers, fish crackers and pretzels in bulk. Rather than each kid having a pre-packaged snack and a box of juice, they get a cup of “inexpensive” juice and a small bowl of snack crackers. Let me say… inexpensive doesn’t mean inferior. Inexpensive means buying prudently. For lunches, I fill sandwich bags with various snack foods, which is much cheaper than buying single-serving snack foods. Yes, it’s a little more work, but it saves a lot. I can buy a bulk-size box of graham crackers for about a dollar more than a regular-size box.

If you’re worried about crackers or cereal bought in bulk spoiling, just re-package in large zip-lock baggies. I haven’t had anything spoil yet!

One change that is sure to save you money on your food bill is to stop going to fast food places for lunch or dinner. Sometimes it can’t be helped…and on those days, don’t worry about it. Sometimes, though, we drive through McDonald’s because it’s easy and fast. Just add up all those visits during the month, and you’ll cut down…I promise! One way to have “convenience” food on hectic days, without paying the not so convenient price, is to double cook and freeze. Whenever you make a casserole, spaghetti sauce or chili…make double. Pulling a ready-made, home-cooked dinner out of the freezer is very convenient and very delicious… and very cheap!

Try one or all of these ideas and see how much you can save over a month. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. Put the money you saved into a vacation fund, go out to a nice dinner or buy something special for yourself or your family. It adds up!

I have baskets filled with these cute little bottles. Some are from special trips and places, but many are from places I couldn’t recall if I had to! And most of the contents of these tiny containers aren’t any good anymore. So what do I do with these things?! Hopefully I’m not alone in my hotel bottle collection. If you have baskets or drawers of these things, go get them and get ready to make more cupboard and drawer space!

If you must have a reminder of a special place for sentimental reasons, save one and toss the rest. Also, toss out everything that is over a year old…and if you’re like me, you have no idea how old any of this stuff is. Keep a small stash for guests, gym bags, backpacks, purses and briefcases. Get rid of the rest. If you can’t bring yourself to throw these cute little gems away, give them away…your church, homeless shelter, women’s shelter and food bank will gladly take them off your hands. Let kids take a few on overnights or use them on camping trips. Heck, use them to wash the dog.

The point is this…your baskets will continue to overflow with these things if you don’t scale down. Let’s get rid of them and use the cupboard and drawer space for storing big bottles of shampoo and conditioner that we buy in bulk for a good price. Use the space to store huge quantities of toilet paper and soap that we know we’re going to use every day. Doesn’t that make more sense than stock-piling tiny bottles we probably will never use!

While you’re at it, pull everything out of those bathroom cupboards and drawers. Toss out as much as you can. Wipe down with a cleaner and let dry. Put back what’s left and wipe down the counters and mirror. Clean the sink, toilet and floor. Leave the shower for another day, unless you’re on a roll! Put out fresh towels and light a scented candle.

Wow! Your bathroom looks great! Give yourself a pat on the back and take out the trash you cleared out of the bathroom. Throw it all out and don’t look back. Trust me, you’ll soon have another basket overflowing with those little bottles. When you do, you’ll know it’s time to clean out your bathroom again! For now, though, enjoy your clean, tidy and organized bathroom, because very soon the sink will be dirty and the counters and towels will be covered in toothpaste. And this lovely room will be a distant memory!

I know, I know. This month’s newsletter is very late! I could tell you that my child desperately needed me, or that my husband couldn’t live without me while I typed away at the computer, or I was just overwhelmed from growing and canning my own vegetables that I didn’t have time to get the April issue out to you until now…but you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Nor should you!! The truth is I had a computer melt down. How touching, huh? Not very sentimental or heart-warming, but very true. And VERY FRUSTRATING AND MADDENING!!!!

Sometimes things don’t go as we planned or hoped, do they? And it is frustrating. As homemakers, you know exactly what I mean. We plan to get it all done… we hope to make it all work… we try very hard. But sometimes, no matter what we do, life is out of our control. And it all hits the fan! It’s somehow comforting to know that each one of us has had the rug pulled out from under us. It’s also nice to know that we’re all still here…sometimes just barely…but we’re here! Homemakers, don’t underestimate your strength or your worth. “I am woman, hear me roar” takes on a whole new meaning for homemakers. Our families need us and count on us, and somehow we manage to pull it all together and take care of those we love. And it isn’t easy most of the time.

I want you to stop and think about all you do for your family that no one else in the world could ever do…absolutely no one. Who else knows how to turn a tear into a smile? Who else knows how to make it all better? Who else can sing a favorite lullaby or rock your baby just right? Who else can shoulder all those tears and pains of growing up? Who else knows what movie works at what time? Who else knows what to fix for dinner when they’ve got the flu? Who else knows which teddy bear needs holding? Who else can scratch a back just so? Who else can listen to the same joke 17 times and laugh? Who else can chase away the blues or the blahs? Who else knows how to snuggle under a special blankie? Who else knows just what to do when no one else does?? YOU do, that’s who!! Who else can take your place? NO ONE! You are invaluable to your family… they know it… do you?

This month, let’s make our houses into homes that are warm, loving and nurturing. Your family won’t want to leave!

Oh, Auntie Em… there’s no place like home. – Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz)