Fundamentals - Humorous Homemaking

Getting It All Done – I Don’t

When I’m having a workshop, the questions always vary. “Does vinegar in the wash make you smell like a pickle?” “Can I sniff you?” “How do you store 25 pounds of beans?” “How do you know when your milk is bad?”

BUT, there is always one question that I get at every single workshop. Sometimes it’s asked aloud, and sometimes I’m asked in private afterwards. “But Stacy…how do you get ALL that done?!” How can I make all my stuff homemade? How can I grind wheat and make bread and then have time to vacuum up all the dirt tracked in by my toddler? How can I hang dry my clothes? How can I take the time to save money by visiting yard sales?

The answer is simple…I don’t do it all. [Read more…]

The 6 Funniest Blog Posts of ALL TIME

I love to laugh. So, I thought it would be a blast to give y’all a list of the six funniest blog posts I’ve ever read…be ready to giggle. You might not be able to cover them all today – but when you need a laugh, make sure you come back to read these. 😀 [Read more…]

Our $3,000 Wedding

I’ve mentioned a few times that my sister is getting married in September. It’s caused me to pause and think back to my own wedding. Our wedding was NOT extravagant by any means…but it got the job done and I was pleased with it. 🙂

The Average Wedding Budget

I’ll admit that after a bit of research, I feel shell-shocked. It astonishes me that people spend so much on their wedding. The Knot says that the AVERAGE wedding costs $27,800. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Do you know what I could buy with that much money? It gives me heart palpitations. Our wedding budget was $3,000. Quite the contrasting number, huh?

[Read more…]

Easy Ways to Save Money: Negotiating and Bartering to Stay Within Budget

Quick Survey

Who thinks Stacy and I are cheap? If you said “yes,” thank you. I am proud of the fact that we don’t pay retail for virtually anything and we are always looking for ways to save money. More importantly, we’re always looking for the best ways to save money and easy ways to save money. Today I want to spend a little time talking about two things you’re either really excited about or scared to death to try: negotiating and bartering.

When to Negotiate

Negotiation isn’t just something that occurs during a hostage situation where the bad guys want pizza, $5,000,000 and a private jet to the Caymans. Negotiation should occur anytime you buy something at a place where there is a chance to save some money. You’re probably not going to walk into a big box store and do a lot of negotiating, but many stores and just about every person is willing to negotiate price if you’re willing to ask. I’ve shared the story before that when we got the final bill for Annie’s birth, the first thing I did was call the hospital and tell them I wanted to pay it in full, but I expected a discount. With no hesitation, they said they’d give me 20% off. Considering the bill was over $1,300, that phone call was worth almost $300. Voila! [Read more…]

Moving To A More Natural Lifestyle – Ramblings of a Former Coupon Queen

I know there are some of you out there who are like me and fairly new to the “natural lifestyle.” By natural lifestyle, I do not mean that I don’t shave or wear deodorant…or live in a van down by the river. I simply mean a way of life that causes you to eat and use things closer to the way they were created – before The Man decided to make it “better.”

And I also know there are some of you out there who are intrigued by my new way of life. You’ve been with me since the beginning and you think I’ve lost my mind. You think this new way of life is cool, but not for you. Thanks for sticking around.

Then there are some of you here who have been at this game for a LONG time now…and you’ve totally got me schooled. And you’ve been quiet as I make all my mistakes and sound like an idiot. 😉

I’m very honored to have had the opportunity to guest post at Keeper of The Home – one of the most encouraging websites I’ve ever found. If you’re not subscribed there, you should be. My knowledge base has grown a lot just by reading all the fabulous material there.

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How To Turn Jeans Into a Skirt

Let me just get something out of the way here…..I hate low-rider pants. I do NOT understand them. Why on earth would someone want their pants to ride low? Really. I was given two pairs of jeans that were of the low rider variety….and I wore them because that’s what I had. I do not wear jeans often, instead opting for skirts most of the time. It just makes me feel girly and pretty – and Barry likes me in skirts. I like making him happy…and I like feeling girly. End of discussion. BUT, I had these jeans and I wore them occasionally…..let me clue you in on something – if you bend over to pick up a toy and you feel a breeze of air on your rear, YOUR PANTS ARE RIDING TOO LOW.

I shouldn’t be wearing low riders….and quite frankly neither should most people. If you bend over to get a can off the bottom shelf at Food City and I wonder if you’re a plumber – YOUR PANTS ARE RIDING TOO LOW. I couldn’t stand the occasional breeze I was getting out back. I was going to get rid of my jeans, and then I bought this skirt for Annie at Wee-Cycle It….and my wheels started turning. [Read more…]

10 Easy Ways to Cut Costs in the Kitchen

These days, everyone is looking to cut costs…I’m always looking where to save money and cut costs, so I like this turn of events. Makes me seem more popular. Ha! I’ve been asked exactly how I operate in the kitchen to keep costs down and keep my budget on target. It’s really not that hard, it just takes a bit of thought and effort. I’m going to give you 10 easy ways that you can cut costs in your kitchen too. Chances are, you’re already doing most of these things but you just haven’t thought of them as being “frugal.” You may just need to change your mindset.

1. Use leftovers. This is almost like a “daily duh” that I post on Facebook, but you’d be surprised at how many people just don’t use their leftovers. They make too much for dinner, put the rest in the fridge and it stays in there until it grows mold. That’s money down the drain. Make plans for those leftovers – they make a great next-day lunch. If your family hates leftovers, freeze what you have left and bring it out again later for a “new” meal. Trickery works sometimes.

[Read more…]

Cleaning Hard Water Toilet Stains

At what time in life did I reach the point in which I knew I would be excited to post on the internet how I clean my toilets? I know while I was in college I would not have sat around a table and dished with my friends about scrubbing nastiness off the john. In fact, I don’t even think I cleaned my john in college…except when moving in and moving out. I was too busy. But friends – when I finally got the hard water stains cleaned off my toilet, I had to rejoice!

The first thing that entered my mind was “Oh my gosh! I have to blog about this!” See…that’s how my life rolls now. If I do something exciting, I have to blog about it. So, I apologize in advance if you’re not totally excited about this like I am…just shake your head and chalk it up to the fact that Stacy is just bored and nuts.

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10 Free, Cheap and Creative Ideas for Having Fun on Your Next Date

cheap-date

I know some of you would say that you cannot afford Date Night. Yes, going out can be really expensive….if you’re not creative. For the most part, I get free babysitting from family members. And of course, if we go out to eat I’m always looking for a coupon. Here are a few options that won’t hurt your wallet quite so much but will make sure you and your spouse get the chance to “date” even after you’re married with kids:

1. Ask a family member to watch your kids. I realize this doesn’t work for those of you who don’t live near family…or those of you who are afraid of your family. Ahem.

2. Barter with a friend. This is very popular! If you have a friend couple and they want Date Night too, then do an exchange with them. Watch their kids when they go out and they’ll watch yours when you do the same. Free babysitting. It ROCKS! [Read more…]

Dating Doesn’t End With Marriage

You know how it is before you get married…..you two want to be together all the time. You hate being apart. You spend about 30 minutes telling each other “goodbye” and you make everyone around you want to vomit. Then you get married and for some reason, things seem to change. You ARE together all the time. You wonder why you didn’t notice the ear hair in your spouse’s ear before you got married. You wonder if they had such nasty morning breath before you said “I do.” But, you adjust. And you learn how to live with another human being – and you settle in. It’s a nice feeling – settling in. I love the comfort of having a settled life with Barry.

BUT, being settled in can sometimes be dangerous. When you get too comfortable, you stop trying. You stop trying to be nice. You stop making pancakes and make him eat Pop Tarts every day instead. You just quit. Things are normal and nice, so why should you still have to try? Folks, this is a VERY DANGEROUS place to be. If you talk to anyone who is divorced, most of them will tell you that something happened and they just stopped trying. So, what can you do about it?

Join me over at Intentional by Grace where I share the reasoning behind why Barry and I still “date.” I’ll also give you a little insight into how men think – by getting a word from Barry. You know you want to know how men think……read more here.