Dear readers,
This blog has moved. All posts have been moved to my new address:
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Marcia Wilwerding
Owner/Editor
eHomebody.com
Join the fun! Check out other frugal ideas at BiblicalWomanhood.com.
All I want is a dairy cow and a flock of chickens. Until I get my wish, I must settle for being as frugal as possible on dairy luxuries. I don’t know about your part of the country, but prices are going sky-high for meat and dairy in our area. Here are a few ideas for how we save on this part of the grocery bill:
I. Our first step in saving on meat and dairy is to scour the local ad papers for the best sales on these items.
II. I try to find meat deals at $1.00-$1.20a pound or less. Some of the meat I’ve found at these prices are:
–Pork ribs, roasts, and steaks
–Ham
–Hotdogs
–Turkey burger
–Chicken breasts, thighs, and leg quarters
–Turkey, whole and breasts
–Hamhocks
–Bacon
–Sausage
–Spam-type canned meat
As you can see, pork is the most economical meat around these parts. We usually try to use our meat in one-dish meals or in sauces with rice or noodles. Main-meat meals are reserved for special occasions only.
III. Making the most out of a 10-lbs. Bag of Chicken: We can get a 10-lbs. bag of chicken leg quarters at Wal-Mart for around 50 cents a pound. When we get it home, either my daughter or I will sit down at the table with
Follow this process with each leg quarter:
1. Begin by thoroughly washing your hands.
2. Slip your thumb under the rib cage and separate the thigh from the rib as you bend it apart.
3. Cut through the meat at that joint.
4. Place the rib portion in a freezer bag.
The rib portions can be used for stock/soup. When we make stock, we scavenge the meat from the boiled chicken backs and make stir-fry out of it. Otherwise, the meat goes into the soup. Sometimes, I put a few extra pieces of meat in with the backs just to add a little more protein to that meal.5. Find the joint between the leg and thigh and cut through it with the shears. Avoid pulling them apart since this causes the meat to separate from the end of the leg. Now, that’s no big deal when you are boiling it, but it just doesn’t look right when served in a main-meat meal.
6. Divide the legs and thighs into two other freezer bags or foil and plan on using them for two meals.
I might add extra legs and thighs to one of the packages in order to have a main-meat meal like barbecued or fried chicken, then reserve the smaller package for a one-dish meal or stir-fry.
7. Label all three packages, including the date you put them up, and keep them frozen until ready to use. (Thaw by running some warm water over the package to loosen the bag/foil, then salt well, and cover with tepid water. May be kept in the refrigerator over night or on the counter for the afternoon, changing the water and adding more salt as the water chills.)
8. Wash your hands with soap and water and carefully disinfect anything which came in contact with the chicken.
IV. We make our menus according to what is on sale, staggering bean meals with meat meals to further save on our protein intake.
V. We also stagger eggless breakfasts with eggs every other day of the week and have a meat meal for dinner on the night we go without eggs.
VI. We use real bacon bits instead of bacon. We can now get it from our local Aldi store for $1.29 for 3 oz. The jury is still out on whether or not we save anything, but the time savings is really great! Check back later to see how our experiment turns out.
VII. Our daughter makes all of our yogurt. It is really much easier than you think. See the Our “Dairyman’s Daughter” Makes Yogurt” post for details. This is by far the cheapest way to enjoy this healthful dairy item.
VIII. Egg prices are totally outrageous in this part of the country ($1.99 a dozen sometimes!). We have drastically cut back on egg-based breakfasts, then add a little sour cream, cream cheese cubes, cheese, bacon bits, Spam, sausage, sauteed onions and peppers, mushrooms, or other add-ins to stretch the scrambled eggs and omelets.
IX. We rarely find hamburger for less than $1.49 on sale, so we have begun to mix it half with $.99-a-pound ground turkey. Just add a little beef bouillon, soy sauce, and/or garlic to the recipe for added flavor.
X. Eat more beans. It’s that simple. Be sure to include some whole-grain bread of some sort, such as whole-wheat or corn tortillas, cornbread, or whole-grain bread, to make a complete protein. You may also use half beans and half burger when preparing Mexican dishes if your crew balks at no meat.
How do you save on meat and dairy? I would really like to know!
If you become a regular reader of this blog, you will inevitably see something controversial here. eHomebody.com is born out of a deep conviction that there is something tragically wrong with the way we view the home, the church, and society at large.
So, if you read something which seems a little “harsh,” please know that I do not intend to be unkind or cruel to those who suffer because of their own sins or those of others. My hope is to encourage you to avoid sin in the first place, and to offer peace and hope through Christ to those who already have sinned.
Thus, I give my answer to a very thought-provoking comment I received from a reader regarding the Considering Wedding Vows post of January 29, 2008.
Here is the comment in its entirety with answers to follow:
I find your phrasing about including divorce in your vows if you do not intend to stay married forever a little harsh. Most people honestly intend to keep their marriage vows and it is *often* the sinfulness of their spouses that forces the other one out of a marriage. Especially wherein one spouse became born-again after the marriage. There are cases wherein a believer can be divorced from an unbeliever and also the adultery clause. Divorce is a terribly sad situation and far far from ideal. But we live in a sinful world. Showing Christ-like compassion for divorcees who have been the victims of their partner’s sin would be a good thing. God hates divorce, but then He hates all sin. Divorce is not mentioned as the unpardonable sin. Yet we who have faced it *do* remember that we will face God and can only believe that His mercy will be richer than man’s.
Response:
I find your phrasing about including divorce in your vows if you do not intend to stay married forever a little harsh.
To begin with, it is important to keep in mind that the phrase being referred to does indeed state, “if you do not intend to stay married.” (Modified 01/30/08, see footnote) The whole purpose of the commentary I gave on this portion of the marriage vows was to root out any intentional misuse of divorce.
Divorce was only permitted because of the hardness of the hearts of men and women who were treacherous against their spouses (Malachi 2:14).[1] That is why Christ was so harsh when He confronted the hypocrisy of those in His audience who were misusing divorce in order to get out of providing for their wives and children when they wanted to take another wife.
I must note also that I never stated that one is to stay married forever, any more than the Bible does. It is, as the vows clearly state, until the death of one or the other making the vows. It only seems like “forever” when one is married to someone who is very difficult to live with.
Most people honestly intend to keep their marriage vows
I hope you are right about this, though there really is no way to know for sure. Though I might agree that most people who get married are not thinking about a divorce when they stand at the altar, far too many are making those same vows with the thought that, if it doesn’t turn out, they have an unconditional right to get a divorce.
My comments were made in order to move readers to consider what they are vowing more seriously and carefully. The only reason anyone should ever vow to stay married to someone until death parts one or the other is if they truly intend to do so.
and it is *often* the sinfulness of their spouses that forces the other one out of a marriage.
I have to disagree with this point. No one can force you to get a divorce. However, they can divorce you against your will. Now, if you mean that it is the sin of the other party which leads to the divorce, then I can agree with that. There is biblical grounds for allowing the unbeliever, if they insist, to divorce the believer, but only after the believer has exhausted every means of reconciliation (I Corinthians 7:15).
It is important to consider, also, that the “sinful spouse,” more than likely, has his or her own complaints about the sins of the “innocent spouse” which he or she believes contributed to the dissolution of the marriage.
Especially wherein one spouse became born-again after the marriage.
It is highly possible that the “sinfulness” of the unbelieving spouse will be magnified once the other has been converted. Your eyes are opened. You see things you never saw before, both in others and in yourself, which cause grief and sometimes even anger.
However, I Corinthians 7:16 and I Peter 3:1 both give the believing wife hope that, by the grace of God, she can be a means of grace in the life of her unbelieving husband. Divorce effectively derails that influence. A woman will never know what might have happened if she had stayed in the marriage, with a submissive spirit, and prayerfully waited to see if God would be gracious to her husband. However, I don’t know the situation to which you are specifically referring, so I cannot speak to it particularly.
I’m not saying that a spouse should stay in a marriage where there is sexual promiscuity (fornication) without repentance. In fact, a person should not be sleeping with anyone, married or otherwise, who is having sex with other partners. It could be debilitating or even fatal if venereal diseases were to be passed to the faithful spouse. In fact, if there is a separation because of this conduct, and the sin is eventually repented of, sexual relations should not commence again until the erring partner has been checked for disease and proper measures have been taken to protect the other party.
There are cases wherein a believer can be divorced from an unbeliever and also the adultery clause.
There is only one cause for divorce which I can find clearly stated in the Scriptures, and that is for fornication, which, of course, encompasses all forms of sexual deviation.[2]. However, that does not mean a divorce is the first course of action. Again, refer to my former point.
Divorce is a terribly sad situation and far far from ideal.
I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. In fact, divorce is devastating to all who are connected with the couple in question, especially any children which have been born of the union. I experienced this myself firsthand. I truly believe that the main reason that God hates divorce is because of what it does to women and children (Malachi 2:14, 15).
But we live in a sinful world.
Agreed, but let us not add sin to sin by seeking a divorce as a first course of action in a suffering marriage.
Showing Christ-like compassion for divorcees who have been the victims of their partner’s sin would be a good thing.
If there was no sin involved on the part of the one sinned against in the divorce, then the divorcee has all the Christ-like compassion I can give them by the grace of God. However, if the divorcee is truly honest, he or she has plenty of sins against the other spouse, which need to be repented of, and for which he or she must ask forgiveness of the other if he or she is to be right with God. Who knows? As long as neither party has remarried, doing this could even possibly be the means of reconciliation.
The most beautiful example of Christ’s compassion, however, was actually toward a “sinful spouse,” the adulterous woman He refers to in John 8:5-11. The truth is that Christ never had compassion on self-righteous people, but only those who were repentant for their own sin.
God hates divorce, but then He hates all sin.
It is true that God hates all sins, but not all sins are judged equally by God. We must neither belittle nor magnify any one sin by comparing it on the same level with all others.
Divorce is not mentioned as the unpardonable sin.
No, divorce is not the unpardonable sin. The glorious truth of the Gospel is that, apart from rejecting the Gospel (the unpardonable sin), there are no sins which are without the possibility of pardon through trusting in the sacrifice of Christ, the Lord and Savior.
Yet we who have faced it *do* remember that we will face God and can only believe that His mercy will be richer than man’s.
One will either face God with their sins forgiven through Christ, or will bear the guilt of their own sins and face eternal judgement.
Yet, this is where the Gospel comes in. There can be forgiveness, healing, and a new beginning for anyone through Christ. It begins by asking God to reveal the magnitude of our sin. Once we are truly made aware of our own sins, without citing the sins of others, we are ready to repent. Confession is then made to both God and man (those we have sinned against). Then, once we know that Christ’s blood has paid the penalty for those sins, then we receive the forgiveness, healing, and new beginning through the Spirit which brings us peace and life. (Job 42:6; Psalm 51:4; Romans 10:8-13; I John 1:9).
If you are suffering because of divorce either in your own marriage or that of someone close to you, then my heart absolutely grieves for you. It is a devastating thing for everyone involved. However, we will never make a difference in our world if we do not rebuke sin on the premise that it may be painful for someone to face. May you find peace through faith in Christ and obedience to His word.
[1] It has been said, “Divorce is an obtrusive symptom of the disease, not the disease itself.” (The disease being sin.) James Bryce. Studies in History and Jurisprudence, Vol. II, “Marriage and Divorce Under Roman and English Law” (New York: Oxford at The Clarendon Press, 1901), p. 452.
[2] The Greek word porneia, meaning “ illicit sexual intercourse: adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, etc.,” is used by our Lord in both Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 to clarify the just cause for divorce: StudyLight.org, The New Testament Greek Lexicon, 31 January 2008,
<http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=4202> (31 January 2008).
Note: The January 29, 2008, post entitled Concerning Marriage Vows, has been altered as follows:
“If you are going to go against the Bible and include the divorce option, then please be honest before God and man and include that phrase in your vows.”
Has been changed to:
“If you harbor any intention ahead of time of including an unbiblical divorce option in your marriage, then please be honest before God and man and include that phrase in your vows.”
“But, if you are not willing to stay together until one of you dies, then you are not ready to be married.”
Has been changed to:
“But, if you are not willing to honor your vows until your spouse dies, then you are not ready to make these vows.”
MW
Even before marriage, I knew that the Lord did not want me to limit the number of children I would have. In fact, I would not have married a man who didn’t agree with that conviction. However, as the babies started coming, I succumbed too many times to the feminist ideas in which I had so thoroughly been indoctrinated and spent those precious years agonizing over the illusion that I wasn’t spending my time in a more productive way.
Shame on me. Now, those years are gone forever. My childbearing years were cut short at the age of 39 because of uterine cancer. I can’t go back and make things right. But, God has been merciful to enlighten me to my errors and sins, and has given me time, talent, and the opportunity to encourage others.
I would like to do so right now by recommending this lovely post found at The Welcome Home blog:
http://blog.achristianhome.org/2008/01/24/late-season-fruitfulness/
When you are done reading it, please come back and let me know what you think.
Who do you listen to? It is amazing how many listen to, on a regular basis, the most ungodly, New Age, garbage out there on the radio, television, and internet. With this new contest in Homebody, the weekly e-newsletter of eHomebody.com, I hope to alert you to stop and think carefully before possibly swallowing the lies whole.
Each week, I will have a quote from someone in the popular media. If you think you know who said it, just drop me an email with the words “Contest” in the subject line. The first one with the correct answer will receive one of my goodies from the “Goody Bag.” It may be a book, a free download, or maybe even chocolate! Prizes will vary depending on what I have available.
This week’s quote is:
“There are many paths to what you call God. Her path might be
