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| Fresh produce from our garden from last month. |
There can be a sense of fear when the cost of living is high. It is important to find ways to lower expenses so we can manage to pay the routine bills each month.
One of the biggest household expenses is often the cost of groceries. The stores are full of all kinds of packaged food for us to heat up at home. They have made much of our cooking easier. But it comes with a cost. There are also snacks and candies and chips we all enjoy, but the cost is high. The supermarkets are full of aisle after aisle of an assortment of groceries that are appealing but expensive. When there is not much money to spare, it helps to find ways to cut down on the grocery bills.
When we have a garden and make much of our food from scratch, we will save a great deal of money. This savings will help provide some funds to pay our basic living expenses, such as utilities and taxes.
Years ago, when my parents lived here with us, in this old 1800's house, they would make an old fashioned dinner to share with us. This happened about once each month. Dad would call upstairs (on the house phone) and invite us to supper. I would tell the children and they would be delighted. Dad made an old time, frugal supper, with the help of Mom. It was a common frugal meal that he often had (as a child) on his small farm in Alabama. I searched my files and found a picture that was taken 15 years ago. Just before we sat down at the table for one of these suppers with my parents, I took a picture of my plate of food. (See photo below.)
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| Frugal supper at our house. |
The frugal meal consisted of homemade cornbread, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, and fried potatoes. This was something I had in my childhood home as well. My parents were careful with their food budget. Mother never tried out new recipes. She simply made the regular dinners that were affordable and familiar. Her example of serving wholesome food for little cost was inspiring.
As the cold weather is approaching, here in our rural New England village, I am trying to think of ways to cut expenses. We are still struggling to come up with money to pay for our first delivery (of the season) of Kerosene for the heat. I have not been able to stock my pantry. I am running late on my winter preparations because of high bills and lack of funds. Money is scarce.
We are coming to the end of the month. There is not much left in the money jar. I will be going out to the garden today and see what I can find. The harvest season is nearly over. But I hope there are some blueberries, sweet peas, and perhaps a cucumber. This will help provide some of the food we need. Next month, I hope, things will be a bit easier.
Even though times are tough, we must not be discouraged. We could be dealing with health issues, financial woes, or trials within the family. Regardless of the trouble, we need to look above it all and focus on the Lord. When I am feeling overwhelmed, I have to remember the Scriptural direction to seek the Lord first and all that is needed will be provided. I must trust my heavenly Father. I will not worry. When I remember to do this, I am flooded with peace and a grateful sense of joy. Trying to get through the hard times becomes an adventure as I watch the Lord working in my life. How very precious it is to be a child of God.
Blessings
Mrs. White
From the Archives
Four Generations in the same house - In Pursuit of Christian Duty.
Simple Way of Homemaking - The Four Little Tasks of Home.
Content at Home - Days Without Spending Money.
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For happiness and cheer in the kitchen:
Mrs. White's old fashioned cookbook focuses on serving meals and setting the table in a humble home.
"Serving in the Kitchen: Cookbook with Recipes, Advice, and Encouragement for the Christian Home"
152 pages, paperback
10 comments:
Pro 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Hello Mrs White
My parents were from Oklahoma and raised me in Texas. This meal is what we ate almost every week. It is delicious, isn’t it?
My mom cooked fried potatoes several times every week. She said potatoes were my dad’s favorite and she was happy to cook them often because they were. cheap and helped stretch her grocery budget.
We also eat cornbread and beans a lot. Sometimes with potatoes, sometimes not. It's cheap and filling. We also raise our own dry beans in the garden. I've been busy doing a lot of canning from garden produce and making and canning applesauce from our apple tree. By the time the snow flies, the pantry will be well stocked for winter. This is the only way we can afford to live well. I save garden seeds as much as possible and plant heirloom and open pollinated varieties as much as I can. Hybrid seeds cannot be saved. My goal is to have a garden without spending too much money. I rarely spend more than $40 for garden needs and we harvest the equivalent of hundreds of dollars worth of produce. We also give away lots of veggies and fruit. This year I grew lots of pinto beans and right now we are podding them out to dry.
Hello Mrs. White
I pray that things also work out for you and your family with the cooler weather coming your way. We're down here in Texas roasting, I pray this heat breaks soon. Thank you for sharing your harvest pictures. We just moved into our home last summer, so we didn't have a garden last year. This year the planting didn't go as planned because we got a late start. We are blessed to have two watermelons that made it through this heat. They were the little sugarbaby variety. The cucumbers were odd shaped, due to the heat, however I canned for the very first time about 11 lbs of cucumbers into pickles. God bless you and yours, until next time!
The supermarkets make things look so easy and attractive. But how much nicer it is to use our own ideas. Potatoes can be used in so many ways and are such a good standby.
I pay for my heating oil every month which makes it easier when I come to order twice a year, I dont have to worry about one big lump of money.
To live simply is often the best way to live well, Mrs. White. The more you can cook/eat from fresh ingredients, the better off you will be. Blessings!
I hope you will strongly consider looking up local food pantries in your area. They are there to bless those who need it--there is no shame in getting food that was expressly gathered for the purpose of aiding tight, tight budgets. .
Thank you for sharing!
Groceries in the US 2026 are actually cheaper relative to income than they have ever been before. But that doesn't mean everyone has the income to afford what they want. Growing food at home can save a little money, and sometimes saving a little money is enough. At the very least it is fun and satisfying to grow food at home.
“Trying to get through the hard times becomes an adventure as I watch the Lord working in my life.” Yes, when things are tight I can choose to be stressed (which I do more than I should) or I can see it as an adventure, which is much more fun and freeing. God has ALWAYS provided, so why do I still fear? Thank you for this peaceful and loving reminder of our Father’s faithfulness and love.
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