For the past two years, it seems as though all that is happening is prices are increasing at a very quick rate. It is hard to keep up with the day-to-day expenses without feeling the pinch. I know that we are not the only family feeling the economic turn. We have been told her locally that our hydro prices are going to go down effective November 1, 2022, but we shall see how that reflects with our monthly bills.  Growing up there was times when money was very tight. My parents always made Christmas special. I learned from a young age that money is not required for making a truly magical ..read more

Dear Diary,  It has been a very emotional week. I had a good cry on Wednesday. My middle daughter has been sick for a long time now. Since March 2020 with what is currently wrong. Without getting into it too much since it is her story to tell she is getting tired of being sick and frankly so am I. I try to be strong for her as she goes through treatments and medication changes but we both know she is running out of options and this last medication isn't a good fit for her. She is having horrible side effects. During weeks like this week, I am grateful for things that make my life easie ..read more

Dear Diary,  Christmas can be a stressful time of year with the added pressure we put on ourselves to have the perfect Christmas for our family and friends. I am definitely the person that has put a lot of pressure on myself to have a lovely Christmas for my family. I believe it is because my love language is giving. I love to give gifts and do things for others. It wouldn't matter if there were no gifts under the tree for me I just love watching others get gifts. The joy on their face and look in their eyes truly makes me happy. I thought I would share some of the things I have done o ..read more

 Dear Diary, The hustle and bustle of Christmas the season is definitely upon us. I have been trying to get everything done so that on November 30th everything is done and I can sit back and enjoy December. I have always been Christmas crazy. Watching all movies related to Christmas on Netflix, Roku, Hallmark, Prime, and at the theatres too. I love to put my tree up in November and just sit by the tree every night and look at it. I really don't need to have anything under the tree for me because I just love to give gifts and see the look on their faces when they open them. It is 2020 a ..read more

Dear Diary, When I do something I am an all-in kind of girl or nothing. This can be a good thing when it comes to wanting to live on one income and raise 4 children. Frugal living is about being economical and resourceful with our resources. It definitely doesn't mean being cheap. As a matter of fact, I prefer to buy quality items that might cost a bit more upfront but it will last longer and wear longer because of quality. For me, it is about being intentional with the resources we have been given and not wasteful.  There were years when living frugally was definitely not a necessi ..read more

I have decided that it is time to restart my blog. I have missed not posting over the last few years consistently due to personal reasons but now that everything has calmed down in my life it is time for me to concentrate on the things I love to do. Step one - is rebooting my blog.  Step two - rebooting my youtube channel Restarting will consist of sharing my life and my journey through living life large on a small budget. We are a one-income family living our best life. Enjoying time spent with friends and family along the way.   You can look forward to seeing new posts fr ..read more

Dear Diary,  I have always had the Christmas tradition of waiting until the first snowfall after October 31st to put up my Christmas Tree. Oh, I should add that the snow has to stay on the ground as well. I bet you can guess what I woke up to this morning. Our very first snowfall of the season. And to answer that question you might be having YES I will be putting away all my fall decor and be putting up at least one Christmas tree today.  With the fresh snowfall and bringing out of the Christmas Tree, I tend to reflex on our past Christmas's when all the children were at hom ..read more

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops have become a great comfort food around our house and since we are home all the time there was never a better time to pull out this recipe and make them for dinner.  2 TBSP Brown Sugar 2 TBSP Ketchup 1 TBSP Soy Sauce 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce 1 tsp Lemon Juice This recipe is perfect to glaze 4 pork chops.  Mix the above ingredients all to combine well.  If doing in a fry pan on the stove preheat the fry pan on medium heat before adding the pork chops.  if doing in the oven preheat over to 350* and then cook pork chops in a shallow pan lightly grea ..read more

Telling you how to save money is like telling you how to lose weight. Everybody knows how to lose weight. To save money you need to spend fewer dollars than you earn. In both cases, you need to adjust your rate of consumption to your rate of work. Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash It is easier to say work more and make more money but it is a known fact that the more money you make the more money you spend. For me working outside the home to make more money isn't an option. For one it causes me a great deal of stress. I find juggling my work life and home life a job in itself always m ..read more

Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash The last few weeks have been life-changing for my family. I do know that my family is not the only one going through the changes the world has cast upon us. Here are a few things that I have changed or found very helpful during our social distancing. 1. Cook once and eat twice. - I like to make a large enough meal that I have leftovers for lunch the next day. This has very handy since we are participating in social distancing and home all day long. 2. I don't need as much dish detergent to wash my dishes. - I fill a foaming soap bottle with 1/3 dish soap a ..read more