Eating on a Budget

I have to share this book that our whole family is enjoying!

Chris and I have never had a large income to live on. We've had what we needed (at times, maybe not QUITE enough :) So we live simply and as frugally as possible. These days, while I am not working, we've had to tighten things even more. There just isn't much more we can cut out.

Then, Mary Ostyn's new book came out this fall - just in time!

For some reason the picture of her book and the link keep malfunctioning here. The book is Family Feasts for $75 a Week, by Mary Ostyn.

Mary is a blogger over at www.owlhaven.net and is the mother of 10 kids. This book is amazing. I really thought I had it all figured out. - Although since there aren't discount stores down here like we are used to, I knew we were spending more than we were used to spending on food.

This book paid for itself on my first shopping trip. The boys are going through a picky-eating stage, but Chris and I have enjoyed trying new things. I have been inspired to cook more from scratch which is better for all of us. And once you have the supplies - it's cheaper too. When you cook from scratch you can substitute whatever you want to in order to make things healthier. Since Mary has kids adopted from Korea and Ethiopia, she includes food from these countries. She also has an egg-allergic child, and her eggless chocolate chips cookies became my kids' favorite cookies from the first bite!

So this book has all the tips and ideas that everyone wishes their older sister or mom had passed to them. Except no one has spent as much time putting them all together with recipes as Mary Ostyn has.

In looking at our grocery bill over the month it looks like we will have spent somewhere between $260-$300 for a family of 5 1/2. (Not counting 3 meals with Chris' parents and one pizza). That's pretty good! And we have had fun, eating good food.

Seriously this is a perfect gift for a wedding, or family increasing in size for any reason. Or anyone trying to cut the edges around their tight budget.

And the Sesame Chicken recipe is seriously the best meal I've ever cooked in my life. It was fun too, because of all the chopping and stirring required, Chris pitched in since those are the things he likes to do. It was fun to make dinner together like the old pre-kid days.

Thank you, Mary!