Sunday's Special Guest Blogger - JoJo Tabares

JoJo teaches us how to do what most of us fear to do - communicate!

I LOVE JoJo and her wonderful resources!

I thought it would be fun to give you a sample of what she has to offer.

I know you will enjoy this awesome article written by JoJo. 

Be sure and sign up for her FREE newsletter too!

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7 Habits of Highly Successful Communicators

By JoJo Tabares

Eighty seven percent of what we do all day long is communication related. It was such an important skill, that the Lord saw fit to include the topic in His Word many times over. Successful communicators make successful people because it touches almost every single aspect of our lives from personal to professional. Here are seven things that all successful communicators have in common. You can too!

1. Successful communicators know the significance of the 1st Rule of Communication:
Rule #1: It is the speaker's job to be understood and not the listener's job to understand. If you understand this very important principle, it will help you avoid much misunderstanding and frustration. Many people mistakenly assume that, once they say something, it is the listener's job to figure out what they meant. When the listener does not, they say things like..."I just told you!" or they repeat the same statement (perhaps louder as if the listener was hard of hearing... or slower as if the listener was a few brain cells shy). If you understand that it is your job to get your message across, you will take more care to put things clearly. You will be much more forgiving if someone doesn't understand you the first time. Or you will find some other way to say it ensuring the other person will better understand .

2. Successful communicators build large vocabularies:
There is a reason your teachers and parents were so concerned that you learn your vocabulary words! The bigger your vocabulary, the more ammunition you have in your arsenal with which to make yourself understood. Someone with a large vocabulary can choose to speak plainly for clarity or to speak with technically accurate terminology to relate to those who are more knowledgeable in that field. So kids! Take your mom's advice and study those words!!

3. Successful communicators know their audience:
Effective communicators express themselves well because they have learned to speak to their unique audience (whether it be one or a crowd). One size does NOT fit all! That applies just as much to communication as it does to clothing. As a woman of 5' and no inches, a very tiny waist and not so tiny hips and thighs; I can tell you that not all clothes fit me either! My body is unique and so is the way I look at the world. However, I am not unique in my uniqueness! God created each one of us special. No two people see things exactly the same way. Why do you think police officers will tell you that they can have 10 witnesses to a crime and come up with 11 different stories! lol The more you know about your listener(s) the more you will be able to relate to them. Some things you will be able to determine by observing their behavior and some things you may need to ask them. Nobody likes being treated as "one of the crowd". Speak to people as if they are precious and unique children of God!

4. Successful communicators are good listeners:
Most people think of great communicators as talkers, but in reality, they are great listeners! It isn't the guy who is always talking that you love to be around. It's the one who listens to YOU! It's the special friend who always asks how you are and really WANTS the answer! It's the sales girl who wants to sell you what you are LOOKING for and not what she has in stock. These are the great communicators! Listening is a critical skill that allows you to know your audience.

5. Successful communicators are confident-inspiring others to listen:
What drew people to Ronald Reagan? What was it that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr had that inspired others? What was it that even Adolph Hitler had that allowed his evil to flourish for a time? It was more than just their words! It's what some call charisma. It's a confidence in themselves and what they believe (whether right or wrong!) that draws others in. It is the personality of the speaker that comes through the message-showing his conviction. These are the people who inspire.

6. Successful communicators back up their claims with facts and not opinion:
Asserting a position does not make it so. In order to convince others, especially those who hold another belief, you need more than just your say so! You need a little thing many politicians today forget to include in their communication: FACTS! Opinions are not very convincing even when they belong to someone who is an expert in that field! Back up your statements with ..."Just the facts ma'am!" No matter how persuasive your argument may sound, it will never convince that segment of people who start out thinking you are wrong, unless you have something to support your claim beyond "because I say so!". It didn't work for your mother. What makes you think it will work for you!

7. Successful communicators understand that credibility is vital:
What constitutes a fact? According to Webster's Dictionary, a fact is a piece of information presented as having objective reality/truth. When successful communicators speak, they present facts that their audience will see as having credibility. Trying to prove abortion rights by quoting Planned Parenthood will not sway anyone who is Pro Life. They are not objective and therefore, hold no credibility with them. By the same token, trying to prove a Pro Life stance to those who are not Christians will not work by your quoting the Bible.

Highly successful people are highly successful communicators. They take responsibility for their message, build an arsenal of words, understand their audience, listen more than they speak, exude confidence and back up their claims with credible facts. You will too, if you have a message that you want to get out!

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JoJo Tabares holds a degree in Speech Communication, but it is her humorous approach to communication skills which has made her a highly sought-after Christian speaker and writer.  Her articles appear in homeschool publications, such as Homeschool Enrichment Magazine and The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, which also endorses her Say What You Mean curricula.  You can also find JoJo on web sites such as Crosswalk.com and Dr.Laura.com.  For more information on communication FUNdamentals and Christian-based communication skills for the whole family, please visit artofeloquence.com

Sunday's Special Guest Writer - Tawra Kellam

Delicious Mother's Day Breakfast!
by Tawra Kellam
LivingOnADime

You discreetly open one eye and scan the room. Maybe if you don't move they will think you are still sleeping. Crash! The door flies open, the scrambled eggs go airborne and you know they have found you out! There they stand in the doorway - your family, grinning from ear to ear. It's another Mother's Day and once again they are treating you like a goddess- bringing you a tray full of burnt offerings (known in our culture as breakfast in bed).
There's blackened toast, large brown lumps you think may be scrambled eggs, coffee "paste", and oh, are these strips of bacon, beef jerky or dog treats? Then of course you look at their smiling faces full of love and you are reminded how blessed you are. Gratefully, you pick up your fork and start eating. Has anything ever tasted more like manna from heaven?
If you'd rather be able to identify your Mother's Day breakfast this year, then discreetly slip these recipes to your husband or children so that he can make sure that this heartwarming moment is also a tasty memory for you!
Recipes:
Pancakes
2 eggs
2 cups flour, all-purpose or wheat
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
In a bowl, mix ingredients just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Mixture will be thick and lumpy. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat and lightly grease. Cook on a hot greased griddle. Flip when bubbles break on the surface and the edges begin to dry. Makes 15-18 medium pancakes.

Scrambled Eggs
8 eggs
4 Tbsp. milk or water (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 tsp. margarine (or bacon grease)
Stir all the ingredients except margarine in a bowl until well blended. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add margarine to the skillet. Pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir constantly about 4 minutes until eggs are fluffy and set. Serves 4.

Country Fried Potatoes
6 Tbsp. bacon grease or margarine
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
salt and pepper
Melt bacon grease or margarine in a frying pan. Add the potatoes in the pan and cook over medium heat. Flip potatoes and cook until golden brown. Remove from pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

Creamy Orange Shake
(like Orange Julius)
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
5-6 ice cubes
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serves 4.

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.livingonadime.com/go.php?offer=footemom12&pid=22

Sunday's Special Guest Speaker - Easter Basket Ideas by Tawra Kellam

Easter Basket Ideas
by Tawra Kellam
http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

A reader asks:

Got any inexpensive ideas for Easter gifts for the kids? Also, do you have any ideas that would focus on the real meaning of Easter and not just bunnies and eggs?

Easter is a great time of the year to celebrate, especially if you have the hope that comes from Jesus Christ and His resurrection. Here are some ideas for Easter gifts. Try some of them and if the creative juices start flowing, make up some of your own!

Easter Baskets:
You can find inexpensive Easter baskets at garage sales and thrift stores. I never spend more than .25 for one.
If you don't have Easter baskets, you can also use:

• Plain wicker baskets
• Baskets spray painted an Easter color
• A cute straw hat
• A pail for the sandbox
• A bowl wrapped in tissue paper
• Paper sacks that the kids decorate. Cut out pictures from magazines or use stickers. Glue or stick them on and then paint or color around them.
• Any sort of plastic storage container. These often can be used later for storage.
• For a "family" Easter basket, set a nice plate on the table with Easter grass and goodies arranged on the plate or platter. This is great when you have older kids.

Fillers for Easter Baskets:

• Buy candy after Valentine's Day at half price and keep to fill Easter baskets.
• Make Easter cookies in the shapes of bunnies, eggs, crosses or any other Easter shape that comes to mind and decorate.
• Popcorn Balls or Rice Krispie Treats colored in pastel colors.
• String Froot Loops onto yarn and tie to make a necklace.
• Don't fill baskets. Instead put jelly beans and candy in plastic eggs so the kids can fill their own baskets. You can also put nickels, dimes, toy soldiers, bugs, stickers, barrettes or hair ribbons in the eggs. Hide them outside or in the house if you live in a climate where it's usually cold on Easter.
• Make coupons for getting out of chores, staying up late one night, having a friend over for a sleep over or a special dinner that they like.
• Include like new books purchased at garage sales or thrift stores.
• Homemade slime, play dough, sidewalk chalk, bubbles or the ingredients for crystal gardens.
• Wacky crayons- Crayon pieces melted together in a muffin tin to make a "big" crayon.
• Flower seeds that the kids can grow
• Mini-stuffed animals purchased at garage sales or on clearance the year before.
• Paper dolls or coloring books. There are many available on the Internet that you can print yourself.
• For teenagers, put these items in baskets: lotions, soaps, suntan lotions, fingernail polish, movie tickets, tickets for getting out of a chore, ticket for $5 worth of car gas, clothes purchased on clearance and of course lots of candy!
• Leave a trail of jelly beans or candy kisses from their rooms to their Easter baskets.
• Easter Kisses
  Put some Hershey Kisses or chocolate chips in a plastic bag and attach the following poem:
  This cute little bunny has hopped all day
  Been delivering baskets for the holiday.
  His paws are so tired and his little nose itches.
  He left you something special-something to fill all your wishes.
  These cute little hugs and Easter kisses.
• Put 1 Pound Jelly Beans into a bag and attach this poem:
  RED is for the blood He gave.
  GREEN is for the grass He made.
  YELLOW is for the sun so bright.
  ORANGE is for the edge of night.
  BLACK is for the sins we made.
  WHITE is for the grace he gave.
  PURPLE is for His hour of sorrow.
  PINK is for our new tomorrow.
  A bag full of jelly beans colorful and sweet,
  Is a prayer, is a promise, is a special treat.
• Easter Carrot Treats
  Buy disposable plastic decorating bags and fill them with orange jellybeans or cheese balls. Then stick some green Easter grass in the top of the bag (leave some hanging out) and secure the bag with a rubber band and then ribbon so that it resembles a carrot.

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit LivingOnADime.

Sunday's Special Guest Writer - Jill Cooper

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Muffin Basics
by Jill Cooper
LivingOnADime.com

Muffins are very easy to make. Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and hand stir lightly. Usually, you only need to stir them about 12-15 times. The batter will be very lumpy but that is the way it should be. Muffins are one thing you don't want to over-mix. Pour them into greased muffin cups about 2/3 full. If you don't have enough batter to fill all of the cups in the pan, you can fill the empty ones with water if you like. I do this sometimes but not always.

• If you are adding nuts or fruit, mix them in with the dry ingredients before you add the liquids. This prevents them from all falling to the bottom of the muffin.
• Your muffins should come out with rounded tops and a light fluffy texture. If they don't, there could be a couple of things you are doing wrong:
  • Flat heavy muffins with tunnels may mean your oven temperature is too low.
  • If the muffin has a lopsided or misshapen peak, the oven temperature could be too high.
  • Knobs and peaks on top and long tunnels can also be caused by over-mixing.

Here is a basic muffin mix recipe from Dining on A Dime:
Basic Muffins
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
Mix ingredients together. Spoon into greased muffin cups, 2/3 full. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 12-15 muffins.

Add these ingredients to a basic muffin mix to liven up your muffins:

• Bacon or Ham - Reduce sugar to 2 Tbsp. and add 1/2 cup chopped bacon or ham
• Blueberries - 1 cup
• Cherries or cranberries - 2/3 cup of cherries or cranberries, mixed with 2 Tbsp. of sugar first
• Dried fruit - 1/2 cup apricots, currants, peaches, figs, prunes, raisins or dates
• Nuts - 1/3 cup chopped
• Cheese - 1/2 cup grated cheese and 1/8 tsp. paprika
• Cornmeal - 1 cup cornmeal and 1 cup flour
• Whole wheat - 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup flour. This is especially good with crumbled bacon.
  The sky is the limit with what you can add to a muffin if you only have a hand full of many different things. For example a little leftover corn would be good in a cornmeal muffin, a few chocolate chips would spruce up lots of different muffins, etc.

      -Jill

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit LivingOnADime.comLivingOnADime.com

Sunday's Special Guest Writer - Jill Cooper

Poo Free - Homemade Shampoo Recipe
by Jill Cooper
LivingOnADime

Poo Free... Ahhh... I know that sounds strange doesn't it? This really isn't an article on what to do when constipated and I don't feel the urge to write on that subject at all. No, this has to do with shampoo.
Years ago, I mentioned in a post about how I had a great aunt who was about 90 years old and had never shampooed her hair and everyone was horrified at such a thought. Even when I mentioned that I only wash my hair twice a week they thought that was awful.
Well guess what? The latest new buzz phrase is "poo less hair". The people that talk about it think they have invented a new thing. They have "discovered" what my aunt knew almost 100 years ago - You don't need to use shampoo or soap to clean your hair.
Actually I have thought about trying it myself for quite a while and I'm not sure why I didn't just jump in and do it a long time ago. But I finally did and I love it.
No more shampoo or conditioner for me. I have been "poo free" for a couple of weeks and still can't get over how great my hair looks.
Now I can hear some of you saying, "No way. I have oily hair and have to wash it every day and need the shampoo to get rid of the oil." Please read on and consider what I am explaining.
I have very oily, fine, limp long hair. At times I have to deal with fuzzing and all kinds of weird things. To comb my hair out is a pain because of tangles. That is why I am so in awe.

How it Works
It works on the principle that the more oil is stripped from your hair the more oil your body will produce to replace it. It is a cycle. It works something like nursing a baby. The more you nurse the more milk you produce and when you stop all your milk goes away.
We have gotten into a shampooing frenzy, shampooing our hair every day to clean it, so we have started an awful "not good for our scalp" cycle with our bodies. Most shampoos are really bad about stripping the oils out of your hair, causing your body to produce more.
Guess what the number one selling hair product is on QVC (or home shopping network)? Wen. It is a "no shampoo" treatment for your hair. The price? Almost $35 for 16 oz. (about 2 cups) and for long hair you have to use 48 pumps of it. Do you know how expensive that is?
The treatment I'll share below does the same thing at a cost of about 3 cents for the same amount and you use significantly less of it.

What's The Worst that can Happen?
I asked myself, "Why did I put this off so long? What is the worst that can happen?" I might have oily hair for a week or so and have to wear my hair in a pony tail. It won't cost me a thing.

What do I have to Gain?
I will have healthier hair and save, in some cases, lots of money on shampoo, conditioner and hair products for the whole family. I am finding that I don't have to use any products like mousse or gel because my hair is holding its curl better. This means I will save by not having to use or buy other products and I'll also save time. Usually, within an hour, my hair would have lost all it's curl and if I was going someplace later I would have to curl it again, damaging my hair more.

I Did It.
I jumped in and did it. The only thing I regret is that I didn't do it years ago. Some people say their hair needed a 2-6 week adjustment period but I didn't need one, even with my oily hair. The first time I didn't use shampoo my hair looked even better than before. It combed out more easily with almost no tangles at all and it looked unbelievable. As I said, an added side bonus I hadn't expected is that it keeps the curl and style better than it did before, so I don't have to mess with it as much.
I am also going a little longer in between washing it and this is only after two weeks of doing this. I can't wait to see what it will be like after a couple of months. This has been one of those things that has changed my life. I know that it may sound silly but you know how having a bad hair day makes us ladies feel. I don't think I can ever have a bad hair day again!

What Do You Do?
There are different ways of doing this but I like to keep things simple so this is what I do. I also brush my hair before I start.

1. Mix 1 Tbsp. baking soda with 8 oz. hot water and stir or shake until well dissolved. You can use a funnel and put this in a container like a squirt bottle.
2. Mix 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar in 8 oz. water. Again mix and store in a squirt bottle.

Essentially, you just replace the baking soda mix for shampoo and vinegar for conditioner. Wet hair well, rub in some of the baking soda and mix into your scalp well. Rinse. Then squirt it with the vinegar mix, rub it in and rinse.
I have long hair and the 8 oz. lasted me about 4-5 washings. If you use the same proportions, you can mix a larger amount and keep in a larger bottle if you want.

Questions Answered
If your hair seems a little oily, only add the vinegar rinse to the ends of your hair. You could also use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
If you see a white residue, you may be using too much baking soda. The proportions I listed seem to be just right. Some people place the baking soda in their hand and make a paste to rub into the scalp but it is hard to get the right consistency and I think it is harder to distribute evenly on your scalp.
Some people have found after using this method for a while that they only have to rinse their hair with water because the ph and oil becomes so perfectly balanced. I haven't been using it long enough yet to know about that.
I know some of you have used regular or apple cider vinegar for a rinse and liked it, and I have too, but adding the soda for shampoo is wonderful.

In Closing
Try it and see. If you are still too afraid to do it, try it on your children or husband for a week or two and see what happens with their hair.
It isn't like you are investing large amounts of money or time into something. It is very simple. All I can say is I can never go back myself. My hair is so much more manageable and looks so good now that I don't want shampoo near my hair.
I hope you give it a try!
      -Jill

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. For more bath and beauty recipes, check out the Pretty for Pennies chapter in the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit Living On A Dime

Sunday's Special Guest Writer - Jill Cooper

10 Uses for Plastic Milk Jugs
by Tawra Kellam
Living On A Dime

• Cut the tops off of plastic milk jugs, poke holes in the bottom and use them to start seeds.
• Cut the bottom off and use as mini-greenhouses to cover plants. Remove the cap on warm days to let heat out and remove altogether when it gets hot in there so you don't fry your plants.
• Cut the top off, fill with sand and pour some used oil over the sand. Keep it where you can put your hand tools in there to clean and oil them all at once.
• Cut the bottom off of a 1/2 gallon jug of milk or juice and make it into a scoop. These work great to scoop out bird seed, fertilizer, grass seed, sand and many other things like that.
• You can also use old milk jugs as weights. Fill them with dirt, sand or even water. These work well if you need to tarp something like a pile of firewood or if you need to hold bird netting or row covering down on the sides. Just tie a cord to the jug handle and then tie the other end to a corner or grommet in the tarp and let them hang.
• Cut milk jugs into long strips and mark them with Sharpies as plant tags.
• Fill plastic milk jugs with sand or rocks about 1-2 inches deep. Then poke 2 or 3 very small holes in the side at the bottom. Fill it with water and it makes a great drip irrigation system for your plants. Just refill with water and a scoop of liquid fertilizer (as needed) and water. The plants do better with a slow trickle than a huge dump of water.
• Cut the bottom off about 2 inches from the bottom and use as plant saucers.
• Cut a section out of the front on the side opposite the handle and then use it to harvest berries and cherry tomatoes.
• A full sized milk jug is one gallon, so use it as an easy measure when watering with liquid fertilizer.

...and here's a bonus tip I thought was too important not to use!

• Cut the bottoms off of plastic milk jugs and put them over plants you don't want to hit when spraying weed killer.

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Living On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes, including gardening tips, visit Living On A Dime

Sunday's Special Guest Writer - Jill Cooper

Stop Eating Your Way Into Debt!
by Jill Cooper
http://www.livingonadime.com/

At this time of year, there are usually three things people are panicking about: how to lose weight, how to save money, and how to get organized. We have already touched on losing weight so this week I would like to touch on saving money.
Hopefully most of you realize that you can get into deep debt if you buy a house or a car you can't afford. That seems to be pretty obvious, although a lot of people do it anyway. But that is not what I want to deal with today. The Bible talks about the little foxes that spoil the vine. What that is talking about is the little things that sneak into our lives without us realizing it. They start picking away at the vines in our lives until it destroys us. One of those "little foxes" is eating out.
Eating out is among the of the top causes of personal debt. Most of us hunt for the best interest rates on our mortgages and we complain about the terrible price of gas the whole time we are pumping it.
Interestingly enough though, I have yet to hear one person groan about the awful prices they had to pay for lunch today or tell how they were "duped" into having to pay such high prices at their favorite restaurant. I mean really, the government should step in and make all restaurants take steak off of their menus so I won't be tempted to order it. Then there are those fast food places. They shouldn't be allowed to build so close to the road and make it so convenient for me to drive in there each day. They have a lot of nerve expecting me to be a responsible adult who knows what I can or can't afford and should or shouldn't do.
Tut, tut. I had better behave or I will have to fire myself. HA! HA! But I do feel so much better for getting that off of my chest.
Anyway where was I? Oh, yes -- saving money and eating out. I know most of the excuses we use to justify eating out when it doesn't really fit in the budget: "I don't have time", "I'm too busy", "I don't know how to cook", and last but not least, "it's so much easier to eat out".
I totally understand. I too don't have time to do things. I don't have time to take care of my yard, so I will hire a crew of gardeners to do it. I too don't have time to clean my house so I will have a housekeeper come in every day and do it for me. I don't know how to cook so I need a chef (the best French one, of course) and it is so much easier to hit my garage sales if I am chauffeur driven.
Obviously my examples are tongue in cheek but, as ridiculous as that all sounds, that really is what a lot of us are doing. In the same way that I can't afford a gardener, housekeeper or chauffeur and I would be pretty foolish to go hire them, many of us can't afford to go out to eat but do it anyway. I don't think most people really realize how much they spend eating out each month and would be shocked to find that they could probably hire a housekeeper or a gardener for that same amount.
Take one week and write down how much you spend eating out. That includes all those coffees, soft drinks, things from the vending machines and snacks you buy throughout the day. Be sure to write down the amount of anything that goes into you and your family's mouths for an average week. I'm afraid you may be unpleasantly surprised. Multiply it by 4 to get a monthly estimate and I think you would be just plain shocked.
I'm beginning to wonder if another reason we eat out so much is that it has just become a habit. Like many bad habits, we get so comfortable with them that we don't want to change them. Even when we know that a habit is destructive to us (physically, financially and even emotionally), we still do it.
Some of us look down our noses at other people with "bad habits" like drug addicts and alcoholics and can't understand why they don't just kick their habits. "Don't they see what they are doing to their families????"
What is the difference between other people's destructive habits and our repeatedly going out to eat and charging it? We know the food isn't as good for our families, we know we don't have the money to pay for it, and we know on bill paying day we will be so stressed that we will take it out on everyone around us. We so proudly display our bumper stickers that say "Say no to drugs." but how many of us could proudly display a bumper sticker that says "Say no to debt, I'm debt free".
(Please do not e-mail me about drug addicts and alcoholics. If you do, you are missing the point of the article and are only making it more clear to me that you are not willing to own up to or face the real issue --your debt.)
I know those words may sound harsh to some, but if you have seen and dealt with as many families as I have, whose homes have been or are being destroyed because of financial irresponsibility, you would understand why I can't always sugar coat things. We sink into a fog of apathy, hopelessness and discouragement and just give up trying. I really want you to understand you can fix your finances, but it will take a little bit of work and effort on your part. Don't just throw up your hands and give up.
There is a story in the Bible (John 5) that tells about a man who couldn't walk. He had laid by a healing pool for 38 years. If he could dip in the pool when the water stirred, he would be healed. Jesus asks him what he is doing there and he says "Well, I just don't have anyone who will carry me and put me in the pool" (Poor little old me.) Jesus then asks him, "Do you really want to get healed?" This might seem to us a strange question but, as I once heard a woman speaker point out, if he really wanted to get healed wouldn't he have tried some way to inch his way over to that pool even if he could only make it a half an inch a day no matter how hard it was?
Maybe Jesus asked this question because He too thought here is a man, like so many do these days, making excuses, being a victim and waiting for someone else to fix his problem for him. What did Jesus tell him to do? GET UP! (stand on your own two feet), TAKE UP YOUR BED (start being responsible for your own things), and WALK (become active in solving your own problems which may mean physical labor, or doing without some things).
You need to be like the lame man and GET UP, TAKE UP YOUR BED and WALK. If you know you are going out to eat too much then stop saying you're a victim of "these hard economic times". Be responsible for the "bed" (or the debts that you have now) and actively start doing something about it today. It isn't as hard as you think. I can take every excuse for eating out that I mentioned above and prove that they're not really valid.
"I don't have time." For the amount of time it takes you to drive to some place, wait for them to take your order and then wait for them to prepare your order, I can give you 10 menus or more that would take less time for you to prepare at home.
"I'm too busy." If you are too busy to take time to feed your family, something that is a necessity of life, then you are too busy. I have very rarely heard anyone say that they are too busy to get their hair done, go shopping, go to sports activities, talk on the phone or spend time on the computer. You really can find the time.
If I sound like I don't have patience with that excuse, it's because I don't. I was a single mom with 2 teens, working 60 -70 hours a week, doing all my own yard work, home repairs, and on and on and guess what? Except when I was ill, I always found time to make breakfast and dinner.
"I don't know how to cook." So learn. Start simple. Even my 9 year old grandson can boil himself a hot dog. You don't have to produce a gourmet meal to make your family happy and in most cases they would prefer you didn't. There are simple enough instructions on the back of a package of spaghetti noodles that, once again, even a child can read and follow. Warm up a jar of sauce and dinner is served. You now have two main dishes that take less than 10 minutes to prepare.
I understand that man can't live on hot dogs alone (although I think kids can), but don't worry -- after a week or two of simple dishes, you can move on to more complicated things like frozen French fries and frying hamburgers ;-) Plus if you really get stuck, I just happen to know of this really good cookbook called Dining on A Dime that can help you. ;-)
"It's so much easier." I guess that depends on your definition of easy. To me, going to a restaurant, sitting and listening to loud music for 30 minutes with fussy, hungry, complaining kids is not my idea of fun. Going to a drive-thru is, at times, not much better. Lately it seems as if the line of cars wraps around the whole building at every fast food joint that I drive by. I was amazed to see every restaurant's parking lot jam packed two days after Christmas. (Must be that all those people who couldn't afford Christmas had gotten a windfall.) Sorry, once again I digress.
You may say "The restaurant where I go isn't that bad." but my point is that everything has it's drawbacks, whether you stay at home to eat or go out to eat. It's just a matter of what you make up your mind to put up with. Do you want the pain of cooking or the pain of not knowing how to pay your bills.
If you are in debt, it would be wise to start putting up with a few of the drawbacks that come with eating at home. Besides, if you are really serious about saving money, there are ways to make cooking at home much easier.

1. You can use convenience foods. There is nothing wrong with buying things like French bread, canned biscuits or bagged salad. Line the pans you use with foil, or use disposable pans. It's cheaper in the long run to use these than going out to eat.
   
2. Clean up as you cook. This is very important because I notice a lot of people make a bigger mess than necessary when they cook.
   • Instead of messing up the whole stove by repeatedly laying a sticky spoon on it, use a spoon holder or cup. It is a simple thing that makes clean up so much easier.
     
   • Keep some hot soapy water in the sink while you are cooking and wash things as you finish with them.
     
   • Don't set that carton of milk down on the counter after you pour it. While it's still in your hand, put it back in the fridge.
     
   • Keep the number of utensils you use to a minimum. You don't need to put a lid on a pot every time you cook something.
   
   
3. Don't always think gourmet. Most families are so excited to get a homemade meal that they don't care what you serve them. Besides, almost any meal can be made to look "gourmet". Fruit sliced and arranged nicely on a plate, muffins keeping warm and nestled in a napkin inside a basket or mashed potatoes piled high with a chunk of golden butter melting down the sides all have eye appeal. All right -- I made myself hungry! Maybe it's time to quit for lunch.
   
4. Clean up is one of the main reasons people hate to eat at home, but if you clean as you go like I mentioned earlier and everyone pitches in to help clean up after dinner, it should only take about 15 minutes to get it all put away. It would take longer than that to drive to a fast food place and return home.
   
5. Pull out those crockpots. It takes about 5 minutes to throw in a roast, potatoes and carrots. It takes the same amount of time to throw in the ingredients for chili, stew or vegetable soup.
   
6. If you are dragging the kids to an after school game: Instead of going to a fast food drive in, throw some hot dogs in a thermos and cover with boiling water. They will be cooked and ready to eat by the time you get there. How long does it really take to grab a few pieces of fruit, a bag of cleaned veggies and some chips to go with them? Maybe 2 minutes? How hard is that to cook? You could also have sloppy joes simmering in a crockpot and pour those into the thermos for an on the run meal. To make it even easier, heat it up from a jar and then pour it in the thermos.

I don't know who set the standard that cooking a meal in 30 minutes is fast. If I took that long to cook a meal every night I would never get anything done. There are tons of meals out there that require 15 minutes or less prep time.
If you don't know where to start, then drag out your Dining On A Dime cookbook or check out the Grocery Shopping On A Budget e-books. We share lots of ideas there to get you started. Sometimes we like to make things more complicated than they really are because that gives us a good excuse not to do them. Where there is a will there is a way.
Do you really want to get out of debt? Then GET UP, STOP CHARGING, and GET COOKING!
      -Jill

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com/

They are currently offering a 73% discount on their Savin' O' The Green e-books, which will help you save money on your grocery budget without using coupons! Learn more here!