No Spend Novermber: Eating at Home

So can anyone tell me the point of spending all that hard earned money on groceries if you're not going to use them? Do YOU know where your kitchen is?

I remember when my husband and I first got married (and I am still guilty of this), I spent all this money on groceries and had the best of intentions but I NEVER used the groceries.

Reading Mary Hunt's book Live Your Life for Half the Price: Without Sacrificing the Life You Love , was a great resource that challenged me to actually use my kitchen and not just intend on using it.

I am not an incredible cook, but if you give me a recipe, I can pretty much follow it. At our home, I do not make big and extravagent meals. They are healthy, hearty and simple.

I don't want to waste a bunch of time making a big meal and only my husband eats it. With having small children (who are not picky eaters), I am just not at a place in life where I have the time or the patience to try and get them to eat dishes that are fancy. I hope that one day, I will get the chance.

I use the crockpot a lot! I love getting up in the morning when my energy is higher and getting dinner out of the way. It also gives us flexibility in when we eat.

Eating at home not only saves money, but many, many of my favorite memories are made around the table.

When we go out to eat, the boys are ususally loud and I feel like the whole time I am embarassed or frustrated. There is just something about being at home to eat that keeps my kids more calm and me at ease.

So today, I challenge you to try to find Mary Hunt's book at the library, find your kitchen and make some simple dishes for meals.

Later this week, I will be sharing some of my hard-earned, simple, yummy recipes.

(For today, I am not even going to get on my soap-box about how much more healthy eating at home is for you and your family. We will leave that lecture for another day! :) )

Here are a few pictures of my kids eating. There are a lot of Lincoln because he is only happy when he's eating, therfore I take lots of pictures when he's eating! :)