Eggs are not just for breakfast, they make great snacks and delicious dinners. Although the price of a carton of eggs has increased some; they are still cheap and healthy. Plus, they are loaded with protein and vitamins B12, A, D, and E.
If you’re looking for a simple way to stretch your grocery budget… here are some ways eggs can help you do just that!
Eggs for Breakfast
Eggs can be served in numerous ways for breakfast. There is the basic scrambled, fried, and poached. Or, if you would like to get really creative try a frittata, omelet, or soufflé.
Eggs really are a great way to start the day and there are numerous breakfast egg recipes.
Snack Time
I like to keep hard-boiled eggs in our fridge for anyone looking for a snack. They can be packed into lunch boxes for school, work, or for us on-the-go homeschool moms. Eating a hard-boiled egg after a rigorous workout can also give you that much needed protein boost.
Snack time, with eggs, can be simple, nutritious, and kind to the wallet.
Dinner with Eggs
During the spring and summer, my hens lay many eggs. In order for my family not to grow tired of eggs, I have amassed quite a collection of egg recipes. I never knew there were so many ways to serve them. Even if you are buying your eggs, these are very economical dinners.
Here is a recipe that we particularly enjoy.
Recipe for Huevos Rancheros
Ingredients:
1 15 oz. cans of stewed tomatoes (or 1 quart home canned)
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 eggs
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked rice
Directions:
Add tomatoes and spices to a skillet and heat to simmer.
Carefully add eggs to mixture without cracking the yokes.
Cover skillet and simmer until eggs are poached.
Once eggs are done, sprinkle cheese on top and allow to melt.
Serve over rice and enjoy.
Note: I often double this recipe.
What are your favorite ways to serve eggs?
Tanya married a farm boy named James and together they are restoring his family farm after 20 years of neglect. When Tanya is not homeschooling their three children or working on the farm, you can find her concocting something in the kitchen or writing on her blog Seven Springs Homestead.
Chic Pipsqueak is an online boutique for baby and kids’ accessories and apparel. They offer a wide variety of items including leg warmers, handmade headbands, flower clips, crochet and elastic headbands, pettiskirts & rompers, boutique outfits, birthday outfits, newborn and baby crib shoes and a lot more.
Their items are perfect for newborns, babies and kids and also make great gifts at baby showers, kids' birthdays, photography props and as party favors!
We had so much fun going through the Chic Pisqueak site to choose a few things for Kaitlynn and for a special little one-year-old friend of ours. I was impressed with the quality of the items we ordered and with the wide variety of selections they have on their site.
Chic Pipsqueak was started by Kjirsten Conrad out of her love for fashion and her daughter. She says:
After many unlucky online searches for affordable baby and kids boutique items I knew what I had to do. That's when the idea for Chic Pipsqueak was born. I knew that if I wasn't having luck finding high quality baby and kids boutique items at affordable prices, many others were in my same boat.
After many months of hard work, my husband and I launched Chic Pipsqueak's online store providing customers with amazing items at the low prices we are all looking for.
Through June 1, 2014, Chic Pipsqueak is offering my readers 30% off all orders when you use coupon code MSM30 at checkout. You’ll also want to to stop by their Facebook Page as they offer a monthly photo contest and weekly giveaways there!
Would you like to enter to win a $50 credit to Chic Pipsqueak? Five readers will be chosen and posted early next week. To enter to win, just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. This giveaway ends Sunday, March 30, at 11:59 pm, CST.
Are you joining us for the 12 Months to a Healthier You Challenge? If so, it’s Friday and guess what that means? It’s time for our weekly check-in to post our progress.
March’s Challenge:
We’re focusing on developing the habit of drinking more water in March. I encourage you to set a simple and doable goal for drinking more water and to stick with it.
My goal for March is to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. I’m also hoping to keep up with January’s habit of doing exercising at least 4-5 times every week and February’s habit of eating six big salads every week.
This Week’s Progress:
I drank 8 glasses of water 5 days this week. Still not 7 days, but I’m encouraged that I’m making water-drinking a better habit. And I hit my exercise goals, as well as my salad goals.
How Are YOU Doing?
Leave a comment telling us how you did on your exercise goals this past week. If you’re blogging about this challenge, leave the direct link to your blog post about the challenge below. Are you on social media? You can also share your progress on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter by using hashtag #12MonthstoaHealthierYou.
Once upon a time, there was a girl, who thought she needed designer jeans, Ray Ban sunglasses, Coach purses, sports cars, and a California King size bed.
In order for her to acquire these items, she had to max out her resources. She swiped those eight different super shiny, color-coordinated credit cards like they were going out of style. She was a pro at signing her name, and at the “bill me later” game.
Oh but how the mighty have fallen. That same girl no longer drives a GT Mustang, owns a single pair of Ray Bans or a Coach purse, and no longer has room for that California King bed.
That girl had to give up all those super nice things because she was dead broke. She may have looked like a million bucks and been able to play the part well; but the truth was, she had no money.
She had accumulated over $11,000 in credit card debt alone. That was over half of her salary as an Administrative Assistant. She had to learn the hard way that there is a fine line between appearing to have money and actually having money.
That was a tough lesson, but it was a lesson learned nonetheless.
Does she regret her choice to sell off all of those fancy items to help pay back the debt? No. Did selling those hard earned items pay back all of her debt? No, she still had to work hard and throw every extra penny and tax return check at her debt to pay it all back.
I am the girl in this story, and I was dead broke at 21 with a mountain of credit card debt. I was raised in an extremely frugal household, where I got the crazy idea that I had to have designer items and huge inventory of stuff, I have no idea.
Wherever that idea came from, it has been hard to keep it out of my head.
We all want things. Maybe it is because of our society that we want so much, or maybe it is something else entirely. What matters is that you learn to control that voice that wants you to spend money you do not have.
These are the four ways I combat the urge to spend money:
I carry cash with me whenever shopping and leave my debit card at home.
I always make a shopping list. Even if I am going clothes shopping for my boys, I make a list of the items needed and I stick to it. In fact, I carry the list around in my hand as I am walking through the store. This keeps my mind on my list and helps keep my eyes from wondering.
I remind myself that most people do not know the difference between designer and no-name brands. Would you honestly know the difference between a pair of shoes bought at Ross and a pair bought at Macy's? Probably not.
I focus on the fulfillment and freedom I receive from paying cash. Paying cash for something that you once could only afford with a credit card is a life-changing experience. I had racked up $3,000 on a credit card for furniture. Fast forward five years later; I paid $5,000 cash for new furniture. That was a very liberating experience, which I remind myself of whenever the urge to spend creeps up.
If you are fighting the debt monster, keep going. It is a long, bumpy road but it is very worth it in the end. I hope my story will encourage you on the road to becoming debt free.
Jessi is the author of the frugal lifestyle blog, The Budget Mama. She is an avid budget fanatic and dedicated to helping others reach their full financial potential. Jessi shares her real life on a budget along with DIY projects, recipes, organization, and more.
a subscription to National Geographic Little Kids Magazine
a $10 Toys"R"Us eGift Card
and access to 3,000+ online kids learning games through ABCmouse.com
You get all of this every month for $20 a month – that’s a 52% savings off the retail price! Plus, when you sign up through this link, you’ll get $10 off your first month.*
Would you like to win a 6-month subscription to Gathr Playroom? Just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. Two winners will be chosen and posted next week. Winners of this giveaway can choose the Playroom package or any of our other packages. This giveaway ends Saturday, March 29, at 11:59 pm, CST.
*Offer expires 6/30/14. Offer may be used once per account, is not available to current Gathr customers, and may not be combined with other offers. Offer excludes taxes and has no cash value. Offer applies starting your first monthly billing period after using this promo code, and is valid up to the amount actually charged that month. If you are in a free trial period, a "free months" discount is subject to the free trial terms. We reserve the right to change or terminate this offer at any time.
::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there's something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life!}
::Clean out and re-organize your medicine cupboard(s). Check expiration dates on medicines and dispose of any that are expired. Note: Check out this article for information from the FDA on how to properly dispose of medicine.
::Set the timer for at least 15 minutes and do something you really enjoy and that relaxes and rejuvenates you. If you need ideas, here are a few: read, write, call a friend, pray, exercise, bake, play with your children, laugh with your husband, stop by the bookstore and browse the book selection, work in the garden, or take a nap! Take some time to just stop and enjoy life today!
Note: If you work outside the home or have a really busy week with little time for extra projects, just do the bolded project above.
Today was one of those days… you know, when it feels like every time you turn around there’s another interruption or something that needs to be taken care of right now.
I finally got around to working on the windows at around 9 p.m.
And oh how they needed to be cleaned!
Jesse pitched in and helped me… he’s such a wonderful guy!
We both realized that we don’t ever recall cleaning the top section of this window since we’ve lived in this house. And we moved here in 2010. Oops.
The pile of items we came up with to get rid of today. We’re starting to have to dig pretty deep to come up with items, but we’re still finding them!
How you do on Assignment #19? I'd love to have you share your progress and success with us so we can be inspired. Either post a link to your blog post below or leave a comment with your update.
Zonderkidz™, the children's division of Zondervan, inspires young lives through imagination and innovation. Their mission is to create products that awaken the hearts and touch the souls of kids under 16.
They make learning about the Bible and Biblical history fun and engaging for kids. And best of all, all their Bible games are FREE to play — and there’s no need to even sign-up or register for anything to be able to play.
They also have an Adventure Bible app with more games and activities that can be downloaded for free on iTunes.
Zonderkidz is giving away 10 copies of The Adventure Bible to readers here this week. This full-color Bible makes learning about the people, places, and culture of the Bible engaging for young children. There are many special features in this Bible — including hands-on activities to help young kids apply Biblical truths to their lives.
To enter to win a free copy of The Adventure Bible, just click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. 10 winners will be chosen and posted early next week. This giveaway ends Saturday, March 29, at 11:59 pm, CST.
On Wednesday, April 2, 2014, from 8-9 p.m. EST, I’ll be hosting a Twitter Party sponsored by Cree LED Bulbs. Our topic for the one-hour party is: Simple Spring Upgrades to Save Big Bucks.
We’ll be talking about ways to save on home improvement projects and simple ways to save around the home. It will be fun, fast-paced, and full of ideas and inspiration. I can’t wait to learn from all of you!
Plus, we’re giving away two Cree Prize Packs and each one will have a $100 Home Depot Gift Card and $150 worth of Cree LED bulbs! All you have to do to enter to win is to participate in the Twitter Party by sharing a tip, retweeting a tweet, or answering a question. How easy is that?!?
More About Cree LED Bulbs:
• The Cree LED Bulb looks and lights like a traditional incandescent, but saves up to 84% in energy – significantly lowering your energy bill.
• Cree LED Bulbs turn on instantly and are free of the mercury that is found in CFL bulbs. Unlike many low-priced LED bulbs, Cree LED bulbs are easily dimmable with most standard incandescent dimmers.
• With a 25,000-hour lifetime (compared to the 1,000 hours of an incandescent bulb), Cree LED Bulbs quickly pay for themselves and pay you back for years to come. A single Cree LED Bulb 100-watt Replacement can save you $226 in energy costs throughout its lifetime.
• Cree LED Bulbs make the perfect energy-efficient replacement for those energy-wasting incandescent bulbs, which are now being phased out. Furthermore, Cree's industry-leading 10-year limited warranty helps you make the switch to LED with confidence.
• The new 100-watt Cree LED Bulb delivers no-compromise LED light at a price of $19.97 – the lowest priced 100-watt LED replacement bulb.
• The Cree LED Bulb has a 25,000-hour lifetime – that equates to 20+ years when used on average of 3 hours/day. In fact, an LED bulb in a newborn's room today would probably not have to be replaced until that child goes off to college.
• On top of that, Cree's Energy Star qualified Soft White 40- and 60-watt replacement bulbs are even more affordable thanks to instant utility rebates offered in participating markets.
Would you like to learn more about saving money on home improvements and have a chance to win a free Cree Prize Pack? Then be sure to join us on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. EST for the #CreeBulb Twitter Party.
To participate, just follow me on Twitter (@MoneySavingMom) and join in the discussion that evening by answering the questions I ask and/or sharing your money-saving home improvement advice. I hope you’re able to make it!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Simple Spring Upgrades to Save Big Bucks Twitter Contest starts 4/2/14 at 8:00 P.M. ET and ends 4/2/14 at 9:00 P.M. ET. Open only to eligible legal residents of the 50 U.S. States/D.C., who are 18 years and older at the time of entry. Void where prohibited by law.
To enter: Entrants must follow @MoneySavingMom on Twitter, respond to any of the Cree Sponsored Twitter party questions and have a non-private Twitter account. Tweets must contain #CreeBulb and @MoneySavingMom to be considered eligible. Limit one entry per person or household.
Prize: Two (2) Cree Prize Packs containing: one (1) $100 Home Depot Gift Card and $150 worth of Cree LED bulbs. ARV: $250; Total ARV: $500. Limit: One (1) prize per household. The odds of winning a prize will depend on the number of valid entries received.
