amy, Author at Pennywise Cook

2-Ingredient Homemade Magic Shell

April 16, 2013 by amy 37 Comments

Ever since I can remember, I have been in love with the dipped cones from Sonic. I remember as a kid, we’d be coming home from church or school and I’d close my eyes and imagine that my parents’ blinker would come on once we got to Sonic. Oh the joy that would come when I’d hear that click click click. And if we did stop, sometimes that joy would be crushed by my dad eating the tip off my dipped cone. I still have a complex about that to this day…

I also adore that Magic Shell liquid that you pour over your ice cream. You know the stuff. It starts as a liquid, but the minute that it hits your ice cream it starts to harden and forms a shell. It’s basically the same thing as the dipped cones from Sonic. No wonder I love the stuff.

It was only recently that I found out how extremely SIMPLE it is to make magic shell. You can pay around $3 bucks for a bottle of it at the store. After you read this recipe, you may never purchase it ever again. I know I won’t.

There’s something about the fun of starting off with a liquid and watching it turn to a solid. Brings me back to high school when we would do science lab. I was usually pretty bored until we did the hands-on experiments.

You see the TWO ingredients that are used to make this lovely, tasty, and sweet ice cream topping combine together to make your own little science experiment each time that you eat a bowl of ice cream. Coconut oil is the ingredient that essentially causes the hardening with contact to the cold. And then of course, you have your chocolate chips that mix with the coconut oil to create the “shell”.

Therefore, you end up with a liquid that becomes a chocolatey, yummy, shell on top of your creamy ice cream. And to think that this recipe only contains two ingredients that takes only seconds to make. You’ll never go back to store-bought, I promise…

You can use your favorite flavor of chips to make this. Use butterscotch chips, white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk, or semi-sweet. I store mine in an old chocolate syrup bottle. With the coconut oil as an ingredient, it tends to harden in the bottle after a while at room temp. Simply pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it’ll be back to liquid and ready to create a chocolate shell over your ice cream.

Recipe courtesy of I Wash, You Dry.

2-Ingredient Homemade Magic Shell

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: I Wash, You Dry

With just 2 ingredients, you can create your own magic shell without a trip to the store!

Ingredients

1/2 c. Coconut Oil
12 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips (or your choice)

Instructions

In a large microwavable bowl, combine the coconut oil and chocolate chips.
Microwave at intervals of 30 seconds at 50% power, stirring between intervals.
Pour over ice cream and allow to dry and harden.
Store in an airtight container at ROOM TEMPERATURE.

Notes

If your magic shell hardens in the bottle, microwave it for about 30 seconds to get it back to a liquid again.

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Crockpot Chicken Tacos

April 12, 2013 by amy 1 Comment

Well hello there! Long time no….er….blog?

As I was preparing the pictures for this post, even my husband made the comment about my lack of my snapping of photos of our dinners. Yes, I am usually known as the papparazi of food around here, but for the past couple of months there have been some awesome things happening around here and needless to say, I’ve been just a bit preoccupied.

But have no fear! I have a recipe today. One that even the least of cooks can throw together in minutes and makes for a family pleasing meal. Crockpot Chicken Tacos only take 3 ingredients and one of them is water. Your HUSBAND could make these.

He might get a big head afterwards. Just tell him that he did fabulous on dinner and that you adore his culinary skills. You didn’t realize that Crockpot Chicken Tacos could help you stroke your husband’s ego did you?

The most important ingredient in this one is, well, chicken! You need about a pound to a pound and 1/2. I used fresh because I got some on clearance, but frozen will also work. You’ll just need to adjust your crockpot setting depending on how fast you’d like it to cook.

Use tenderloins, breasts, thighs, whatever you’d like. It’s going to get tender and you’ll shred it anyways.

Brace yourself, this is where it gets a little tough. You must open a packet of taco seasoning and sprinkle over the chicken. I know, I know. How could I ask you to do such a laborious thing? Well suck it up. You’ll live.

Here’s the last step. Add the amount of water listed on your taco seasoning packet to the crockpot.

Place the top on your crockpot and walk away. Go update your status. Take out the trash. Clip your toenails (you know who you are). Hey look, now you have time to make a dessert! Might I suggest Salted Caramel Brownies?

I usually let it cook for about 6 hours on low when I’m using fresh chicken. Towards the end of the cooking, I usually add just a tad bit more water and then shred up the chicken. It’s so tender that just stirring it usually shreds it without hassle.

Add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

We’ve started having what we’re calling Taco Tuesday. Some form of taco will be made on Tuesdays. Whether casserole, soup, or plain tacos, that’s our theme. And beef is good, but sometimes chicken feels a bit healthier. Plus, it’s a nice change.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Recipe Type: Main, Crockpot

Author: Pennywise Cook

With only 3 ingredients (one of which is water) and a crockpot, you can have chicken tacos for dinner tonight!

Ingredients

1- 1.5 pounds fresh or frozen chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs (your choice)
1 package taco seasoning
Water listed on taco seasoning packet + a bit more
Toppings of your choice

Instructions

Place fresh or frozen chicken into crockpot.
Sprinkle with taco seasoning.
Add the amount of water listed on the seasoning packet.
Cook on low for about 6 hours (fresh chicken) or medium/high for 6 hours (frozen).
Add a little water, about 1/4 cup towards the end. Let absorb then stir and shred.
Serve with tortillas or shells and add your favorite toppings!

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Crockpot, Healthy, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes Tagged With: Chicken, Chicken Tacos, Crockpot, Crockpot Chicken, Easy Tacos, Slow Cooker, Slow Cooker Chicken, Tacos

The Supernatural Bell Boy

April 9, 2013 by amy 1 Comment

photo credit: chattygd

So they asked the LORD, “Where is he?” And the LORD replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” – 1 Samuel 10:22 (NLT)

Have you ever looked around and compared yourself to others? For instance, maybe you’re sitting and enjoying a cone at the local ice cream shop and notice a family come through with 5 extremely loud and obnoxious kids. You think wow, I’m really glad that I don’t have 5 kids. What a nightmare! Or maybe you see a couple arguing outside and you think to yourself, I’m so glad that we don’t argue like that. It’s so easy for us to use others as a means to justify who we are, isn’t it? For the past 3 months, I’ve been on a journey. An incredible, spiritual, freeing journey.

Have you ever packed for a vacation saying that you’re really going to try and pack light this time? I think I say this every single time.

And yet each time, I find that I have at least 2 suitcases full of junk that I will never actually wear. I just think that I need those extra changes of clothes for comfort. Comfort in knowing that if I don’t like this outfit, I can wear that one. Comfort in knowing that if I eat too much that day, I can wear these elastic pants instead of those tight, hip-hugging jeans. At the end of the vacation, you end up with half a suitcase full of clothes that you never wore. And yet, you have lugged around this suitcase for days when had you just packed it lightly in the first place, you could have saved yourself an arm workout.

In the same way that I tend to overpack for vacations, I have carried “baggage” for years in my life. If this baggage were physical suitcases, there would probably be 10 of them stuffed to the brim.

You know, where I have to sit on top of them to actually get them to close.

I’ve never needed a bell boy to help me with my baggage. I have a tendency to want to carry them all by myself. After all, if someone helps me, they might see all of my ridiculous baggage and try to remove some of them from me. Wouldn’t that be scary. Not only that, but I hate tipping. But you see, after carrying around this “stuff” for years, I realized that there’s always been a bell boy standing there just waiting to lighten my load. He doesn’t even require a tip. His name is Jesus Christ. Seems so simple doesn’t it? Just drop your suitcases and this supernatural bell boy will carry them for you. It really is that simple.

I’m praying for the right time to write and share this baggage of mine. It has become my testimony and my faith has grown in leaps and bounds.

This supernatural bell boy can take your baggage too. And keep your tip. He doesn’t need it. He just needs you to drop your worries, cares, struggles, burdens and give them to Him.

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Filed Under: My Life Journey, Random Blurbs

Things That Say Cluck: Dinner Made Easy

March 26, 2013 by amy Leave a Comment

I can’t help my love for chicken. I love it almost any way that you can cook it up. Though if it’s difficult, you most likely won’t catch me trying. I’m all about the simplicity of meals as most of you already know by now. I’m also fond of eating healthy and this is another reason why chicken is my meat of choice on most occasions. With the exception of frying it, you can really eat very healthy when you pick chicken over other meats. If you’re like me in the simple and healthy boat, then listen up!

Check out those stats! Here’s an interesting fact: the stats based on the survey above state that 66% of women and 61% of men admitted to cooking most often with chicken! Kinda staggering consider how men like their steaks and pork chops don’t you think?

One of my favorite shortcuts when it comes to simplicity (and healthy too!) are the Tyson® Grilled & Ready® products. I actually just made dinner with them last night. I cut the grilled strips into bite-size pieces, tossed them with some brown rice and stir-fry veggies along with some seasonings and voila! Super fast and easy chicken fried rice.

Tyson® Grilled & Ready® chicken and beef products are fully cooked, available in the frozen and refrigerated sections. Tyson® Grilled & Ready® frozen chicken and beef products are conveniently packaged in resealable bags to create delicious and smart meals in minutes

Or check out this yummy Chicken Avocado and Pear Wrap Recipe below.

Chicken Avocado and Pear Wraps

Recipe courtesy of Tyson Foods, Inc.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 0 min

Total Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

6 ounces Tyson^® Grilled & Ready^® Fully Cooked Refrigerated Grilled Chicken Breast Strips

2 large whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and julienned
1 small pear, julienned
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Cooking Instructions:

Prepare Grilled & Ready^® Chicken Breast Strips according to package directions.

Spread each tortilla with cream cheese to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle evenly with chopped shallot.
Arrange chicken in a line across center of tortilla, top with avocado and pear slices. Sprinkle walnuts over top.
Roll up and tuck in the ends. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Slice in half for presentation.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve with a side of fresh fruit.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 370 Total Fat 14 g Protein 22 g Carbohydrate 41 g Cholesterol 35 mg Sodium 640 mg

Serves: 4

Countdown to a Better You Program

Just in time for summer, Tyson® Grilled & Ready® is rolling out a program designed to help you feel better about yourself! The Countdown to A Better You program not only helps you eat healthier with Tyson Grilled & Ready products, but it also gives you a chance to win some awesome stuff! The “Countdown to a Better You” program will motivate you to eat smarter by encouraging you to create good-for-you recipes with a variety chicken and beef products. To reward you for eating better – the more products you buy, the better the prize!

You’ll need to go HERE and click on the “Countdown to a Better You” tab to register for the program which runs through June 21st, 2013. Start purchasing the Grilled & Ready products. You only need 6 of them to be eligible for the first prize level! You can also enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win 1 of 10 gran prizes- a $500 visa gift card!

1. Buy Tyson® Grilled & Ready® products
2. Save UPC codes from eligible Tyson® Grilled & Ready® products
3. Redeem by mailing in UPC codes along with the submission form available at Facebook.com/GrilledandReady to receive gift codes you can use at online retailers.

You decide the value of the gift code.

6 UPC codes = $10 gift code
9 UPC codes = $25 gift code
12 UPC codes = $50 gift code

Plus, while supplies last, there are 10,000 product coupons available on their facebook for download!

I was compensated for this sponsored post made possible by Mom Spark Media. All thoughts are 100% my own.

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Filed Under: Reviews, Sponsored

No Time To Make Dessert? {Giveaway}

January 10, 2013 by amy 13 Comments

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Edwards. All opinions are 100% mine.

Edwards Pie

The words you are about to hear may come as a shock to you….

I don't always have time to make a homemade dessert. Yes, it is true. Sometimes, just sometimes I don't even feel like making dessert. And perhaps the reasoning behind it is that I spend so much time on dinner that I justdon't care to spend anymore time in the kitchen. It's understandable right?

The only times that I really feel it's necessary to have dessert as a requirement is when it's a formal meal. You know, friends over or perhaps a holiday dinner. We had a dinner like this recently and of course, dessert was a forgotten project. Edwards Crème pies to the rescue! We stopped by the store and I let my daughter pick out her favorite. Strawberry Cream Pie was her dessert of choice and it was a good one. I'd probably recommend it for a get-together. I love when there's no baking involved. 🙂

For the holidays, Edwards is still offering a holiday e-card that you can send to family and friends! I know it's January, but the link still works so try it out! It's pretty cute. I sent my e-card in no time flat and received a coupon via email.

My favorite part of the e-card offer? You AND your recipient get a $1 off coupon. Throughout the month of November and December, Edwards Desserts donated $1 for each and every Edwards product purchased. How super cool is that?

Now, let's get to the good stuff! One of YOU are going to win a FREE Edwards Creme Pie! The winner of this giveaway will receive a coupon for a FREE Edwards Creme Pie AND Edward's Desserts will be making a $20 donation to Toys for Toys in the winner's name! This will be a quicker than normal giveaway ending on Tuesday, January 15th at midnight CT.

Edward's Desserts Giveaway

Mandatory Entry: Leave a comment on this post with your favorite Edward's pie or perhaps one you'd like to try.

Optional Additional Entries:

Follow Edward's Desserts on Facebook and leave a comment here that you did/are.
Follow Pennywise Cook on Facebook and leave a comment here that you did/are.
Follow Pennywise Cook on Twitter and leave a comment here that you did/are.
Subscribe to Pennywise Cook’s daily email. Leave a comment that you did/are here.
Follow Pennywise Cook on Pinterest. Leave a comment her that you did/are

This giveaway will end on Tuesday, January 15th at midnight CT. I will contact the winner on Wednesday, January 16th and they will have 24 hours to respond. If I have not heard from them, I will name a new winner. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery of your coupon. US residents only.

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Filed Under: Desserts

Financial Fast: 8 Days In (Almost Fail)

January 9, 2013 by amy 2 Comments

photo credit: jessdamen

When I first began on this journey of fasting financially for just 21 days I thought, Oh sure piece of cake. Honestly, even a piece of cake isn’t expensive. You wouldn’t think that half the things that my husband and I spontaneously did were *gasp* expensive. I mean think about who we’re talking about here.

It’s me. Saving. With. Amy.

They really do still call me that, you know. I’ll never be known as anything different to some. I digress…

I’m cheap and I know it. While I lived with a dollar philosophy for years and almost fell out if I had to pay more than a buck for something, I have loosened up just a bit since I quit the savings blog. But this fast has really been a challenge for me. Coupons made it possible for me to feel comfortable in a grocery store.

Exhilerated almost.

When some folks feel overwhelmed and stressed in stores, I usually can remain calm. Until I see someone pushing a cartful knowing they don’t have even 1 coupon and they could probably spend half as much if they were using them. Once again, I digress…

This is about ME and my challenges with this fast. It’s harder than it sounds. 21 days of NO eating out. 21 days of NO shopping. Not even at $.99 day at GOODWILL y’all! Oh yes, this is a major challenge for muah. So far though, I haven’t gone through withdrawals but keep me in your prayers. 😉

No, the biggest challenges have been mostly small things and 1 large thing. We were walking by a Redbox the other night and almost walked up to grab a flick. Not so fast! That’s frivolous and against our rules! I had a Groupon about to expire for frozen yogurt and we thought we might drop in. And then we remembered that we are yogurt fiends and that we’ll most likely purchase more as a family than our Groupon would cover, therefore causing us to pay for the difference. No yogurt. We were really knocking these challenges down one by one!

And then I spent my morning the other day putting together my grocery list complete with coupons and everything I needed to feed us for the week. Sparing you boring details, just know that every other week our grocery budget changes a little. This makes it difficult each week for making a list. I’m trying to get used to making my list smaller on the weeks that I get less money to spend. A long story short, I went OVER budget this week by $10. I’m not proud of it. I decided that I would spend $10 less next week to make up for it, but there was still a feeling of failure.

I come home and I’m talking to my husband that night. He said that HE too failed. Co-workers went out to lunch because he had forgotten his from home. He felt bad about it. I shared that I had spent about the same and we both decided to make up for it with next week’s grocery budget. And then of course there’s out water heater. It stopped heating the water and we took numerous cold showers. And of course it would need servicing while we were on a financial fast wouldn’t it? I think this is one of those that falls under a necessity, but it was still hard paying for it.

So while we’ve technically failed, we’re going to buckle down and fix it and remain on track.

What about you? Are you doing or have done something like this? I’d love your input!

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Filed Under: Blog Stuff, Random Blurbs

Homemade Tomato Soup

January 7, 2013 by amy 2 Comments

The other day my daughter came home from school and declared that she liked tomato soup. Can you imagine that? She said that they serve it at the cafeteria and that she really liked it. Then she proceeded to ask me to make some at home.

Music to my ears!

My little one actually requested something other than pizza, macaroni, or a hot dog. I was speechless.

And like any good mother, I set out to find a recipe that I thought she’d enjoy and put it on our menu plan for this week. To make the hubs happy, I made grilled cheeses (tomato soup’s partner) to go with the soup.

I found this recipe at Spark People and it is surely a winner!

The entire recipe took me only about 15 minutes to make. It made a large pot so there will be leftovers. You can even freeze this for later on.

Dipping my grilled cheese into this soup was absolutely a match made in heaven. I cannot express the happiness that this soup brought me.

I didn’t even know I liked tomato soup!

If you’re looking for a quick meal on a weeknight or perhaps a last minute idea for the weekend, this should be on your list! What’s even better is that there’s only about 71 calories per serving.

Low cal? For reals? Yuuuup!

This ain’t nothing like that mess in a can y’all!

Homemade Tomato Soup

Recipe Type: Spark People via NARKMEISTER

With just a few ingredients you can create super tasty homemade soup that pairs great with a yummy grilled cheese!

Ingredients

2 Medium Onions, Diced
4 Garlic Gloves, Chopped
4 Cans of Chopped Tomatoes
1 Pint of Stock (Your preference)
1 Tbs Dried Basil
Low Calorie Fat Spray/Olive Oil

Instructions

Brown onion and garlic in a few sprays of cooking spray over medium heat.
Add 4 cans tomatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes.
Add broth or stock and bring to a boil. Simmer another 5 minutes.
Add basil and salt and pepper to taste.
Use an immersion blender to smooth to your liking.
Serve with a grilled cheese and enjoy!

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Filed Under: Healthy, Soup Tagged With: Homemade, Homemade Soup, Homemade Tomato Soup, Soup, Tomato, Tomato Soup

My Financial Fast: 4 Days In

January 5, 2013 by amy Leave a Comment

We’re moving into day 4 of our financial fast. So far so good. I haven’t felt too stifled just yet. I’m still on budget for groceries and things we need for the week. I have even managed to save $20 of it.

The hardest part so far has been realizing small things that come up. We don’t normally think anything of them, but they can add up. For instance we’re attending a party tonight. We won’t be able to pay for a sitter to watch the girls. Luckily our friends don’t mind if they tag along. Or perhaps a gift for a friend who just had a baby. Can’t get her anything right now and it feels a little weird. But these are the challenges that we face with this fast. I was reading that these are the times when it’s a chance to share with others about the fast. They might decide to try it themselves.

Retail McDonalds

photo credit: StockMonkeys.com

Quick story: we were stopping to grab a bite to eat on our Christmas road trip this past month. We chose McDonald’s because they are cheap, right? WRONG. Over $21 for our family of 4. One of our 4 is a baby who doesn’t eat much. I was apalled at how expensive it was. I complained all the way to the pay window. I was even considering cancelling the order and getting every item off the $1 menu. When we got to the window, the cashier told me that the lady in front of us had paid for our order.

Mouth shut. I was humbled.

God has a way of doing that to me. Just when I complain, he blesses me or shows me something to be thankful for. I’m so unworthy, but He is so good to us. I couldn’t believe that the lady has paid for our expensive order. We paid for the people behind us to pass on the kindness. It was such a blessing. Even if it was at of all places, McDonald’s.

These are the challenges that we are facing so far in our financial fast. It’s really opening my eyes to what we spend each week. Plus we are using up food from the pantry and freezer and making do with things we already have on-hand. So glad we decided to do this!

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you” when you already have it with you.

– Proverbs 3: 27-28

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Filed Under: Blog Stuff, Random Blurbs

Oven Roasted Green Beans

January 4, 2013 by amy 2 Comments

On any given day here in our household, anything green won’t be eaten by the kiddos and sometimes even by the husband.

What is it about the color green that turns folks off?

It’s quite sad that it’s gotten such a bad rep when it’s one of the most nutritious colors to eat. This just makes the challenge for cooks like me to make those things that are green taste good enough to eat. Both of my girls wouldn’t touch green baby food. You know, those green peas and green beans all pureed and mushy. I can’t say that I blame them. I don’t think I’ll be indulging in a big ole jar of mushy green peas myself. When we went to England, that was a common side dish there. Of course I had to try it while I was there. But I was over it after my first taste.

With a bag of frozen green beans in my freezer, I decided it was time to use those babies up. I went for the roasting option hoping that they would taste good enough for the family to enjoy. After all, they always like my roasted broccoli and roasted cauliflower.

I started by parboiling the green beans straight from frozen. I wanted to get them thawed and mostly cooked and then finish them in the oven. I was surprised at how quick these cooked.

Then I drained them and spread them out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. A little olive oil, salt, and pepper and into the oven they went.

After a nice stint in the green bean sauna (I know my analogies are ridiculous), they came out just perfect. Just roasted enough that some of them had a crunch, but still soft like you’d expect.

And what would make anything roasted taste better than parmesan cheese? Not a thing. A good sprinkling of that and you are set with the tastiest green beans this side of Mason Dixon Line.

When I was finished with these, I took one of them to my picky daughter for her approval. She gave me a look when she saw how green it was and I was fully expecting her to pass on the taste test.

Then it came….

She let out a “mmmmmm”. And I knew I was onto something. We had these with our dinner and they were a big hit.

Even though they were green. 🙂

Oven Roasted Green Beans

Recipe Type: Side Dish, Vegetable

Author: Pennywise Cook

Try a new take on everyday green beans by popping them into the oven to roast. Here’s how!

Ingredients

16 oz Pkg Frozen Extra Fine Green Beans
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°.
Bring pot full of water to boil. Add green beans and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and dry.
Lay green beans on baking sheet lined with parchment paper in a flat layer.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss. Return to oven for additional 5 minutes.
Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately!

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Filed Under: Healthy, Kid-Friendly, Sides and Vegetables Tagged With: Beans, Green, Green Beans, Oven Green Beans, Oven Roasted Beans, side dishes, vegetables

Post Holiday 21-Day Financial Fast

January 2, 2013 by amy 3 Comments

photo credit: uyht

Each year after the holidays there seems to be a letdown that occurs. Whether it’s the fact that Christmas is over or the the fact that there isn’t something special to look forward to, there’s a little glum that sometimes follows the excitement of the holidays. And lest we forget one of the biggest letdowns of the holidays…

how much we spent.

I can’t complain too much this time. We actually set aside a Christmas fund throughout the year in hopes of making them a little easier to swallow. It helped for sure, but we ended up over-budget. And I made a lot of my gifts! I absolutely love to give. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a birthday, Christmas, or even just because. I love to give.

So after all of the spending this Christmas, I’m in the mood to do a little saving now. Not that we don’t already save every penny that we can, but we want to really buckle down and challenge ourselves now that the frivolous holidays are over.

photo credit: StockMonkeys.com

I came across Michelle Singletary’s The Power to Prosper: 21 Days to Financial Freedom on Google one day. That’s a link to her book if you’re interested in reading it. I didn’t actually read it myself, I just read over the main points of the fast to understand what is expected. It’s a very simple idea and I believe that it’s a great way to challenge your family and your spending habits.

On a summary of this book I found a quote that I wanted to share with you:

YOU NEVER SAVE WHEN YOU SPEND

Great job Captain Obvious, right?! Well it’s not as obvious as you might think. When I was hardcore couponing, I found that I would stock up on things that may or may not still be good by the time I got around to consuming them. When it was time to go through cabinets and try to use up what we had, there were things that weren’t even edible anymore. And sure I was saving money by stocking up, but if I never even consumed those items then was really just throwing that money away.

You might think about that quote and see how it applies to your situation. With the new year here, it’s time to reevaluate spending and make changes to better your bank account. And that’s the principle that my husband and I are going to be working on in the next 21 days.

We already have a pretty feasible budget that we follow each month. It works well, but contains some spending that we saw to be unnecessary. For instance, we each receive $20 each week to spend on whatever we’d like. Sure it’s nice, but during a financial fast we feel it’s not a necessity. And along those same lines, we also set aside $20 towards dining out for the family. Once again, this is not neccessary and it’s being cut.

Here are the rules that our financial fast will consist of:

We can ONLY use cash to pay for things during the 21 days. (We already do this, but it’s good to reiterate how important this is to saving money!)
We will ONLY purchase things that are essential during the 21 days. Essentials are: food, medicine, personal toiletry items, school supplies (if needed).
We will NOT shop online or shop in-store unless purchasing our essentials during the 21 days.
We will NOT purchase gifts for anyone (even if there is a party) during the 21 days.
We will NOT eat out or purchase coffee (this is a hard one) at a cafe or anything along these lines during the 21 days.
We will document each and every purchase during the 21 days to keep track of where our money is going.
We will read a daily Bible verse for encouragement and guidance during the 21 days.

And of course there are other things that will come along that we will deal with as they come. This is probably going to be most difficult for me since I find myself at a store just about every single day for one reason or another. This is a challenge that I plan to go forward with in hopes of learning to use my resources as God intends us to. And also to visually SEE how much money can be saved and how many things we buy on a daily basis that really are unnecessary.

I plan to give updates throughout our 21 days of this challenge. If you’ve never done something like this, I’m sure you’ll be interested to hear how it’s going. I’m curious myself!

Our 21-Day Financial Fast will begin on January 2nd 2013 and end on January 22nd 2013. Wish us luck!

I’ll leave you with a scripture to get you started!

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

-Proverbs 3: 9-10

Have you ever done a financial fast before? Would you consider something like this to encourage your financial discipline?

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Filed Under: Blog Stuff, My Life Journey, Random Blurbs Tagged With: Financial Fast

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