Printable Vegetable Garden Calendar

Do you know when is the best time to plant what in your garden?

Here's a great printable Kansas Garden Guide by Charles Marr, that shows the best planting and harvesting periods for zone 5.  

Be sure to click on the calendar to bring up the image 100%. Clicking on the link above will open the pdf file, go to page 76 and you can print it full 8 1/2 x 11 size there.

post updated 4-23-13

Summer Vacation Boredom Busters

It's the time of year when the kiddos are starting to get bored during summer vacation and ideas are running short.

All you know how I love Tip Junkie, and today I want to share another one of her great ideas...

A printable Summer Activities List!  How cool is this?  Print it out, post it, and let the fun begin.

How I Use A Printable Grocery List To Save Money

I love the free The Ultimatest Grocery List because it saves me money! It even has a vegetarian version!

Here is how:
-Saves time getting you in and out of store reducing impulse purchases which saves money.
-Saves time by just checking what you need, no long lists to write out.

-No duplicate items purchased that you already have on hand, saves money.
-No return trips for forgotten items saving you gas.
-Menu planning and a grocery list based on what's on sale and what you already have on hand, matched up with available coupons really saves a lot!
-Menu plannning for a week (or more) will help you use purchased ingredients up before they expire.
-Menu planning will save on unplanned dining out.

I keep copies in my household management planner. As I'm going about my day and discover something I'm low on or need, it's right there and I tic it.

Do you use a printable grocery list?  A handwritten list? Do you find your meal planning goes smoother and you don't spend as much money when you have a list?

New 2011 Household Management Planner Printables

It's the first of the year and time to update your household management planner.  If you don't have a household planner, now is the PERFECT time to start one.  It will keep you organized and save you money! 

I always like to change mine up every year.  Having a new cover and design for the year is uplifting and inspiring for me.

The one I chose this year is Erin from Frugal Living.  Her new printables are wonderful. 

Here's a peek at the Budget worksheet.  Very well organized and has enough room to actually write figures in!

There are several different meal planning worksheets including this 4 week monthly. My goal is to get to where I am planning a month at a time instead of a week at a time.

My 2 favorites are the When to Buy What Calendar and Foraging calendar.

I have a list of "when to buy what's" but never took the time to put them on my calendar.  I just had it stuck in my planner.  Now it's all on a calendar where it's easy to glance at.  Erin has done the work for us! Thanks Erin!

I've been learning more about foraging but the most important thing to know is exactly when each plant is in season. Erin has put this on a calendar also.  It will be interesting seeing if her timeline is the same, ahead or behind me due to geographical differences.  For the January & February foraging calendar she has nothing.  If you know of something that can be foraged in these months, let me know so I can add it to my calendar!

Have you updated your household management planner for this year yet?  Have you found any new exciting printable tools that you will be using this year?  If so, you know I love new printables, so be sure to share with me!

Secret Santa Postage Stamp Printable

Therapeutic Crafting has created a wonderful Santa Postage Stamp printable for us.

There are so many things you can do with this printable.  Here's some ideas:
Print and frame it for some holiday art
Print some on tags for Secret Santa gifts! 
Print on hang tags for other crafts and decorations. 

It would also be great printed on vinyl using a Silhouette Digital Cutting Tool if you have one.  One of these days I'll have one of these awesome craft tools! I've been trying to win one forever.  Or maybe they will ask me to do a review and giveaway. How cool would that be? 

To get the instructions for personal use and printing, please visit Therapeutic Crafting HERE.  This printable DOES HAVE RESTRICTIONS!  Please honor them and the owner.  Thanks Therapeutic Crafting for sharing!

FREE Printable Kitchen Ingredient Substitution Chart

You won't find another Kitchen Ingredient Substitution Chart like this anywhere! With over 100 ingredients listed and suitable substitutions. It prints out on regular size paper and can be slipped into a sheet protector to either hang on the inside of your pantry door or place in your household management planner.

Thanks Tipnut.com for sharing this wonderful chart.

Ingredient Substitution Chart

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Recipes & Menus ingredient substitut

Running An Efficient Household

Last January one of my goals I set was to get more organized.

I lived in a suburban community all my life until two years ago when my husband and I moved to a very small community (900 pop). I found that I couldnt just run a 1/4 of a mile down the road to Wal-Mart or the grocery store any longer. I needed to start planning meals, shopping once, and if I didnt have something, make do with what you have. The nearest grocery store being 8 miles one way, and the nearest big box store being 10 one way. Gas prices soared and I couldnt afford to waste gas and the time for useless trips.

My sister in law received a Household Organizer for Christmas. It was really fancy and well laid out. I decided I wasnt going to spend $50 (or more I'm sure) on buying one. I figured I could find what I needed off the internet.

Well a year later and I'm well on my way to learning to break old habits, getting my organizer together and becoming more frugal.

a) Meal planning: I now have a Master List of the meals we eat most often.
b) Stocking my pantry & freezer: Based off my Master Meal List I know how much of what I need for a year.
c) Being a Super Saver Shopper. I read story after story how shoppers were waiting until rock bottom prices came along to buy grocery items and stocking up again. They say the grocery stores run on a cycle of sorts. When these rock bottom price sale comes along double it up with coupons and save even more.

After hours of searching for printable worksheets for meal planning, pantry & freezer inventory, places to print coupons off the internet, etc. here are my favorite tools.

The Utah State University Extension has a FABULOUS tool. It's A Management Plan for Home Food Storage The first thing it has you to do is print off a "Food Storage Planner" chart. List your 10-20 most served meals.
After doing this I had 26 meals. Some I only serve during the winter. Some I only serve during the summer. Now when I'm asking myself "What's for dinner" I can take a glance and see if there's something we havnt had in a while and see if I have everything to make it.

After you are done filling out this planner you will know exactly how many cans of tomato sauce, chili beans, corn, green beans, etc. you will need in your pantry to prepare your meals for a year. That way when you do catch the rock bottom sale price you know exactly how much to buy to last a year.

Then you take an inventory of your pantry/freezer. They have a printable form for this also. That way when you do catch the rock bottom sale price you know exactly how much to buy to last a year. You may not be able to buy enough of an item when the BIG sale is on, but you will always know where you stand and what you have in your pantry to prepare what meals.

Now I know what I need and how much. So my quest moved on to learning how to save on what I buy. I found CouponMom.com

The two things I'm concentrating on from that home page (cause it can be overwhelming) is the Grocery Deals By State and the Virtual Coupon Organizer. I printed off the two free ebooks found under the Grocery Deals by State and they had useful information in them to get me started.

I now have the last two sunday papers coupon sections and I will be ready next week to see what's on sale and if there is a coupon I can use.

I feel like I'm well on the road to being a more frugal cook and shopper. I'm excited about implementing these tools. I've been using the Utah State Extensions plan for a few months now and it has saved me from unneedless trips and wasted gas/time.

Let me know if you find these tools useful or if you have found something you like better please share it with me!