This teaching was presented to God’s Girls Ministry Women’s Bible 
study on Monday, January 17, 2011. Personal testimonies are not 
included in these notes. This editor believes personal testimonies 
belong to the person telling it and should not be posted on a public 
forum such as the Internet by anyone except the testifier. Bracketed 
and italicized scripture references supplied in these notes were not 
in the teaching but are here as a study reference for your learning. 
King James Version Bible quoted unless noted otherwise.

 

Housewiper Tips

January 17, 2011

Ever since I was  4 years old I knew I wanted to be a "housewiper." I have never had the opportunity to be a fulltime housewife. I have always been a working Suzie Homemaker. Over the years have baked, gardened, made jams, crocheted, knitted and done other crafty-Martha Stewart-like things.

A simple jam recipe is 5 cups mashed strawberries, 7 cups evaporated cane juice sugar (which allows the fruit flavor to shine through) plus some pectin. This equals about 8 pints of jam. And it costs about $1 a jar to make it yourself. A pint of high quality, organic strawberry jam made with evaporated cane juice costs over $6 for a cup of jam! That is a savings of $5 if you make it yourself. You know where the ingredients came from if you pick the fruit yourself. It will ttrully be a local, seasonal item. Jars can be re-used, as can the rings to tighten the lid. You will need to buy the lids new each time.

Here is a link to helpful text & photos on how to make jam.

Link to ChillOver gelatin from Mary Janes Farm magazine

Hosea 4:6
 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...

Many of the foods we buy at the fast food restaurants and in the grocery stores are lifeless dead foods with no nourishment in them. If you would trade your time for better nourishment, you can save money at the same time. Our bodies and budgets are getting destroyed because we don't know much about this stuff.

We die for lack of knowledge.

One bag of dried beans costs less than one can of beans. A small bag of dried beans can make multiple meals, including making refried beans from leftovers. One can of beans can make one meal for a family of four.

DRIED BEANS:

Fast method: Wash, pick out any rocks that may be in them. Rinse in a colander. Cover with water in a pot. Bring to a hard boil. Cut heat off. Put lid on. Let sit covered, untouched, no heat for one hour. Then after 60 minutes, put heat back on and simmer until beans are soft.

Gasless Beans: Wash beans, put in pot, cover with water Add 1 tsp baking soda and let soak overnight. Then in the morning, let simmer until soft.

BUDGET BUSTER:

Fast food.

A 12 piece chicken nugget costs $3.29

A quarter pound hamburger with cheese on a white bread bun costs $3.49

A super sized french fry costs $1.89 plus prepared food tax of about 15%.Total cost for 2 people, $8.67 or $4.83 per person.

Instead go to the grocery store. One pound of ground beef is $3.00 and will feed four. A pack of storebrand buns is 99 cents at Food Lion. A pack of sliced cheese is $1.49. Storebrand frozen fries is a buck. Making the same meal at home costs $2.27 per person.

Let's be better stewards of what God has given us. I am not talking about never going out to eat, but do it for a special treat and stretch your budget. Maybe you will have more money to give toward the kingdom of God.

Buy foods on sale. Use double coupon days at the stores. Farm Fresh has a double coupon day on Wednesdays.

DOn't throw out food. Old bananas can be scraped from their black skins, and one cup measures of the mushy fruit put in a freezer bag to use later. Use in cakes and breads.

Leftover mashed potatoes and veggies can be thrown into a pot to make soup once a week for a quick meal that uses all your leftovers in one pot.

Psalm 37:25
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
 

Matthew 7:11
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

2 Corinthians 9:8
 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
 

To use what you buy and buy what you will use, to stretch your food dollars by making things from scratch not only takes discipline, it takes advance planning. But it will be worth your effort. the nourishment is better and you will have more money for other uses.

ABOUT GENERIC/STORE BRANDS:
If a name brand is displayed next to a generic/store brand item, the generic item is the same exact item as the name brand. SO next time look for the generic brand and see which name brand it is displayed next to. That is how you will know which company manufactured the store/generic brand, even if the shape of the packaging is a little different.

If you have staples in your cabinets you can make dinner.

You can cook a couple times a week only and have meals for the whole week if you plan it right.

Crockpots can be used to make one pot meals fast and quick. Put the ingredients in the crock pot first thing in the morning and when you get home in the afternoon, dinner will be ready except for your raw veggies.

Involve your children. Involve your boys. Grown (husbands) or otherwise.

COMMON OBJECTIONS:
I love to buy your homemade jams and relishes or love to receive it as a gift but not do it myself because:

It's inconvenient.
No time. I work.
My kids are picky eaters.
It requires time & effort.
It is old fashioned.
No tools.
I cannot/do not cook.
I don't like to cook.

KNITTING/CROCHETING
Using the same basic stitch you can make great scrubbing dish clothes or a blanket.
 

CHALLENGE:

Lets use our resources that are here in this room. Send me your economizing recipes and tips by email and I will start compiling them together.
 

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