I was determined to make a change, and Amy Bayliss offered the perfect opportunity in her weekly HOMEmaker challenge. She told me to make three new outfits out of the things I already had.

IMPOSSIBLE! Was my first thought. I had worked hard to thin out my closet so I knew there was nothing hidden in the darkness. It was some hand-me-downs that inspired the new outfits. These were clothes I had discarded because of a misfit here or there, but the challenge gave me the inspiration and motivation to remake the clothes into something that would work with my wardrobe.

Outfit #1 – The brown shirt and brown printed skirt. The skirt started out as a halter dress that was handed down to me. I LOVED the print, but there was no way my . . . um, curves were fitting into the halter portion. I cut off the halter, added a little hem and now I have a cute skirt to go with my brown shirt. All I need to make this the perfect outfit is some hot, high heeled boots.

Outfit #2 – The blue pants and printed shirt. The shirt was the major change in this outfit. It also started out as a dress. This time it was the lower half that I did not like. I just cut it off, hemmed the bottom and added a pair of dress pants. I’ll finish this outfit off with some black and silver pumps.

Outfit #3 – The pink skirt and brown shirt. The material of this skirt is amazing, but it started out as a tank dress. I liked the fit and the feel, but the skirt was too long on the dress and I prefer separates. The scissors again came in handy. I cut the tank portion of the dress off and hemmed the skirt to be right a knee level. I paired the skirt with a brown, thrift store find that I have had in my closet. I think the brown boots I will be getting for outfit #1 may also rock outfit #3.

Three new outfits for my new place in life and they were all completely free. Even the hemming only took about an hour per outfit, probably less. Why not take the challenge for yourself? Three new outfits – and not a dollar spent!

Angel Food Ministries has been one of the paths we have taken to stretch the grocery budget. Our total purchases in May came out to be just over $300 – but that broke down to less than $5 per entrée. I want to share some of the recipes that have come out of the Angel Food treasures and also other recipes that my family claims as winners.

For a recipe to make it to my list, it will have to be cheap, easy and tasty. Do you have any recipes that would fit this description? Send me an email and I’ll include it in the site with a link to your website. Also, please come back and comment about any of the recipes that you try.

Beef Pot Pie

This recipe started from one I found on the internet. I confess that I rarely follow a recipe, so you are getting my version.

Left over roast – 1 cup
Left over potatoes – cubed and cooked, 1 cup
Left over carrots – cooked, 1 cup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can beef broth
Pie crust

Put all of the ingredients in a bowl. Add on can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of beef broth. Mix all together thoroughly. Cover a casserole dish with spray oil and pour in the mixed ingredients. Place the pie crust on top to seal the pie. Be sure to poke a few holes in the pie crust. (I used two deep dish pie crusts – one as the container and one for the top).

Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Let cool before serving.

This dish made from left overs only cost me $4.00 and fed my family of five when served with some biscuits. It was a HUGE hit and will definitely be one for my remake list. I also think I make use left over chicken as well (with cream of chicken soup and chicken broth).

Did you give it a try?

My husband left his teaching position in October of 2007. The income I gain from writing (mostly online) has been enough to keep our heads above water, but only just enough so that we can breath. Things would be better if I had squeezed the finances tighter in the beginning but would’ve, should’ve or could’ve will not put money in the account.

Saving Money when There IS no Money

1. Eat from the pantry, freezer and other places where we tend to store food. I have managed to feed the family quite well using creative recipes that include items I already have. That tip only goes for so long and then you will have to start restocking, but we have made it two months without a major grocery trip.

2. Find free entertainment. Friday has become library day. After the older boys finish school and the youngest (and dad) get up from a nap then it is off to the library for movies and new books. We also try to make time to go to the recreation center to play in the gym or at the playground. Let the kids choose the activity and there is no telling where you might end up.

3. Use what you have even if it may not be what you wanted. My mother-in-law got Red Rooster plates for her wedding china. They have been in storage since my husband and I inherited them. I am NOT a rooster kind of gal. But the truth is that my kitchen is a rooster kind of kitchen and we do need new dishes and there is no reason to leave the thing that I need sitting in the shed even if the thing I need may not be exactly what I want.

4. Be honest – with yourself and with your family. Financial troubles may be able to be hidden for a time but eventually the truth will catch up and it is usually worse by that time. Talk to your family. They may have some ideas that can help you get out of trouble before you hole is too deep. Talk to the kids. Let them know that things will be tight for a bit but that you will work it out together. Honesty really is the best policy when the money is tight.

Saving money when there is no money does not always mean that you are building up a giant nest egg to use down the road. It may just mean that you are building up enough support to keep a little breathing room. It may mean that you are using every thing that you can find just to stay afloat.

No matter where you are in your financial walk, there is always something extra that you can do. Sit down and think hard about where you can cut, what you can do differently or maybe where you need to add to help keep your finances above water.

There are ways to get creative with a budget on a diet. Planning to take extra work or even having a giant sale of all your extras or unnecessary items is a great place to start. Turning to friends and family can also help to lighten the load on the family budget.

Tips for Stretching the Family Dollar

1. Have a “Blessing Box” that passes around between you and several other families. Place good, quality items that you don’t need anymore or can’t use in a sturdy plastic box and then pass it on to the next family. You could also include a notebook for sharing barter items (I can fix your fence if you’ll bake my casseroles).

2. Share babysitting duties. Instead of hiring the neighborhood teen for the job why not trade duties with the neighbor that has kids the same age. The kids get a fun day and you get a free night out.

3. Check out the local “Angelfood Ministry.” It is a great way to stretch the grocery budget and help out your local church at the same time. Each participating church gets some funds from the program and families have the ability to participate in a food co-op that would otherwise be impossible for most.

4. Have group meals or potluck gatherings. There are times (like after church or during sports seasons) when all families struggle to get meals together and often fall to buying fast food or eating out. Help save on those expenses by doing group meals instead.

Saving money is not the only reason to make changes or cut back. Some times the need is simple survival. During these tough economic times use some creative measures to help you and your family get through and even thrive financially.

It is important to save money in this economy. Experts have been saying that everyone should have three to six months of expenses saved up but recently I heard that the number should be EIGHT months.

Our household lives off a freelance income. That means that the paychecks come when the paychecks come and there really is not guarantees when (or if) they will arrive. We have been living off last month’s income for a couple of years now and it has made us more aware of our spending habits. Last week I decided to push our finances to the limits and begin to save aggressively. We are aiming to save $3000 in just 10 weeks.

Tips for Saving More Money

1. Eating out is one of the quickest ways to eat up discretionary spending. Over the next ten weeks we will eat all of our meals in home or we will pack sandwiches and a picnic if we must eat at the ball field or other outing.

2. Turn off extra lights and equipment around the house and turn the air up to 74 degrees. I can save any of the overage from the budget for the electricity.

3. Sell something I don’t need, use or love. It may be something big like a piece of jewelry or something small like a toy or collectible that could go in auction.

4. Work one extra job each week – as a freelance writer I can take on as many jobs as time allows. One extra job each week could be dedicated to savings.

Saving $3000 in ten weeks is not an impossible task. It only takes finding ways to save just $300 each week or around $60 each day. Putting back that extra money will get me well on the way to a comfortable emergency fund and it will help me become even more aware of how we spend money as a family.

1. Kick up the temperature on your thermostat. The goal is to have your air conditioning set at around 78 degrees Fahrenheit. For each degree lower that you turn down your air it will cost you approximately 5% more each month.

2. Pay for the upgrade. Installing a programmable thermostat can help you save even more money during the year. Program the temperature to be hotter during the day when you are in the home and cooler at night when you are sleeping (cooler temperatures help you get a better night’s sleep). You will need to get a programmable thermostat specific for your type of unit so talk with your installer.

3. Turn out the lights when you are cooling the home. One light bulb may not give off a whole lot of heat, but a dozen will definitely push the temperature up a little. If you don’t need the lights then turn them off when you are cooling the home.

4. Weather proof your home. Install or replace worn weather strip around doors and windows. Look for places that heat and cool can escape like holes for pipes and other places.

5. Install the right unit for your location. Heat pumps are great money savers – for moderate temperatures. When temperatures get extreme then the heat pump can actually eat more energy and more of your money than other units. Discuss the specifics of the heating and cooling capabilities of the different units and choose one that will work best for your typical weather conditions.

6. Be aware of the outside temperature when you are doing inside chores. You don’t want to be running the dishwasher, the dryer or the washing machine (on hot cycle) during the heat of the day when your air conditioning system is already struggling to cool things off.

Saving money is important for most people these days. Finding ways to cut your household energy budget can provide savings from around $50 per month and on up depending on your current expenses.

It amazes my husband at the dishes that I can create from the pantry, but if I would do it more often then we could probably save about $3600 per year! Just writing that makes me want to tighten up the grocery budget.

Cheap Meals that Save Money

1. Chicken Ramen Casserole – this was going to be Ramen noodles but the middle son came in while I was cooking and announced that he didn’t LIKE Ramen noodles. So I mixed in a can of cheese with the noodles, covered the bottom of a casserole dish with Ritz crackers and poured the noodles and chicken over the crackers. I topped it all of with a cup of shredded cheese and then popped it into the over until the cheese melted. All the kids loved it, my husband loved it and I loved it as well. The whole casserole cost around $6.00.

2. Mini pizzas – (this can be a great way to use leftovers). Toast up some English muffins. Lay the muffins out and top each one with about a tablespoon of spaghetti sauce and a pinch of cheese on each one. Top the muffins with your favorite toppings. Ours cost around $5.00 for the whole meal.

3. Strudel – this is a family favorite. Roll out a couple of pieces of puff pastry. Cover each piece with a quarter cup of cheese and whatever meat or veggies you have in the frig. We do ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, and breakfast straddle with egg, bacon (or sausage) and cheese. Roll each piece of puff pastry up and then pinch the edges closed. Cook according to directions for the puff pastry. Total cost is around $6.00 – and you use up all of your leftovers!

The key to creating a casserole that saves money is to take several elements from your pantry or frig and just throw them together. A pasta with a meat and some cheese or sauce makes a great meal almost any night of the week.

1. Make a list of all the cloths you currently have in your closet. Put every single item into a category so that you can get a visual of what you have and how much is there.

2. Thin out your closet. If you don’t wear it (or can’t wear it), don’t love it or it’s damaged then let it go. You will find that as you thin out your closet you are able to enjoy the items that you do have even more than before.

3. Hit the thrift stores and consignment shops. Go to the second hand stores to get any items that you do need to replace or that you might need more of. You can often find brand new items for a fraction of the cost. A friend told me that she recently found out the local thrift store gets a delivery from a department store every Tuesday. Items she had purchased new for Christmas were in the thrift store for just a couple of dollars.

4. Wait for the sale. If you can’t find the items that you must have in a second hand store then wait for the season to change or a holiday to come around and purchase the item on sale at that time.

5. Share with your friends and family. Pass on items that you can’t (or don’t) wear to others and accept their hand me downs as well. Not using hand me downs is like saying “I can’t use that car because someone else drove it first.” If having someone else just wear the item is because enough to reject it then NEVER ask the sales associate how many people have tried on that suit you are eyeing.

Clothing may be a necessity, but there a plenty of ways to cut the expense so that you can get the things that you enjoy but also so that you can enjoy all the things that you have gotten as well.

My oven died. It put up a good fight and was faithful enough to tough it out through a heavy Easter dinner, but it just couldn’t go on. I was crushed. The signs had been there for months but I held my breath and believed that my oven could over come. The struggle ended with my dear friend no longer able to function.

This was a dilemma I did not want to face. Sure, I could have been saving all this time for a new oven, but I felt like it would be a betrayal (and I didn’t have any extra funds). Now the oven was dead and there was no money to replace it.

The first week we ate out. We didn’t really have the money for that either, but I didn’t want to have to deal with the empty shell that was now my oven. The bank account was close to bleeding when the week ended so I knew I had to come up with a plan.

Necessity may be the mother of invention but creativity has to be a second child or at least a cousin. I knew we couldn’t afford a new oven so it was time to find ways to utilize the other appliances in our home to meet our needs.

1. The crock pot – ever an appliance of convenience it now became a key tool in my kitchen. I found ways to make lasagna, bake a taco pie and even back a cake all in the crock pot. It took a little tweaking of existing recipes and the discovery of new recipes online but I managed to create a wonderful menu for the family time and time again.

2. The toaster oven – it was no longer for just warming things. I used the toaster oven just like my regular over and even cooked casseroles (albeit tiny ones) in the toaster oven.

3. The electric skillet – I had always used it for cooking things like pancakes but now it was my ONLY tool for frying or boiling. I tried everything in the electric skillet that I might otherwise have cooked on the now cold and quiet stove top. The best thing about the electric skillet is that I could set the exact temperature with the control.

4. The microwave – this was my second place for boiling items (especially vegetables).

5. The grill – ever the summer cooking tool, the grill became one of my favorite ways to cook meat and vegetables (second only to the crock pots) and even to toast bread.

Eventually I received a new oven as an early Christmas present from my father-in-law (I don’t think he appreciated my creativity of cooking Thanksgiving without one). Although I now have the ability to cook the traditional way, I have found that I prefer many of my other tools more. The death of my old oven brought new life to my kitchen in the form of new recipes, new dishes, and new ways of preparing meals that give me more time and more flexibility.

The Simple Dollar offers wise insight to personal finances. It also can provide a number of links to other valuable sites to help you with your financial plan.

The Dollar Tamer offers deals that can help you stretch your budget but still live that joy filled life that we all desire.

The Wisebread offers suggestions that not only help your wallet but also help your physical fitness with some inexpensive ways to get fit and eat right.

Most Christians understand that the Bible talks about tithe, but there is so much more to consider when it comes to handling finances wisely. Out of Debt Christian tries to provide the information necessary to follow God’s design for your money.

Susan over at Personal Finance Guide provides you with the sound foundation to help you manage your finances – from self employed income to simple savings.

Instead of plowing into your finances with blind recklessness, why not take a few moments to utilize the numerous free tools that are so easily accessed these days. Visit some of the websites, find some of your own favorites, comment and communicate with others that have already been where you are right now. It is so much easier making life changing choices when you realize you aren’t alone and you aren’t the first in this position.