My Mom Is A Narcissist: Budget

Showing posts with label Budget. Show all posts

Friday, April 7, 2017

Free or Nearly Free Ketogenic Diet Recipes on Amazon

You can get free or nearly free cookbooks for the dash diet on amazon and you don’t have to have a kindle!

First, you will need to download the free kindle reading app for your computer. You can find it here:

Amazon.com - Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices

Next, check out the cool books below. At the time I wrote this, they are all 99 cents or free. If they pop up in price it is because the publisher was running a promotion for a limited time. Why do publishers give away free books? They would like you to review them once you have read them. They can’t require you to review them though, so they just offer some free hoping you will review them.

When you find a book you want, click “buy now with 1 click” and use the pulldown box to say where you want it sent. Your book will arrive and you can read it. You do NOT need kindle unlimited. Amazon wants people to buy kindle unlimited, so they make that the first choice when downloading the book, the “buy now with 1 click” button is just below it.

Dash Diet Cookbooks for Free or Nearly Free

You can get free or nearly free cookbooks for the dash diet on amazon and you don’t have to have a kindle!
First, you will need to download the free kindle reading app for your computer. You can find it here:
Amazon.com - Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices
Next, check out the cool books below. At the time I wrote this, they are all 99 cents or free. If they pop up in price it is because the publisher was running a promotion for a limited time. Why do publishers give away free books? They would like you to review them once you have read them. They can’t require you to review them though, so they just offer some free hoping you will review them.
When you find a book you want, click “buy now with 1 click” and use the pulldown box to say where you want it sent. Your book will arrive and you can read it. You do NOT need kindle unlimited. Amazon wants people to buy kindle unlimited, so they make that the first choice when downloading the book, the “buy now with 1 click” button is just below it.
Here are the bargains I found today:

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Read books and Magazines for FREE!

Did you know that you can download the amazon kindle reader to your computer for free?

Amazon.com - Read eBooks using the FREE Kindle Reading App on Most Devices

Once you download it, you can use your amazon prime account to read free magazines!!!

If you don't have prime, you can also get a free trial of it here:

Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

By going to this link below, you can read books and magazines for free...some of the magazines include :

Magazine Link

There were also plenty of books to read too and I thought this one looked interesting: Here is the link to the amazon magazine page: http://amzn.to/2kXrad2

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Four Free Books on Amazon

I am always looking for books to read, and found that some authors give away their books for a short period of time as a promotion. They would like you to review the books, but it's not required. Here are the ones I found this month:

Fiction: This post contains affiliate links, but the books are free, so I earn nothing on them.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Is Amazon Your Cheapest Option for Homeschool Supplies?

I admit it. I tend to be lazy. When it's time to purchase homeschool supplies, I run to amazon and just click and it's at my house in 2 days. Amazon used to be cheaper than other places on nearly everything. Now that I am in the habit of not checking prices anymore, I got suspicious. I heard rumors of amazon raising prices and decided to have a look. I found quite a few things that are actually MUCH more expensive on amazon.

Free Shipping on Educents with code AppleCider16 through Sept 30.

THE best Learn to Read kit by Hooked on Phonics is $190 cheaper on @Educents than Amazon. Plus free shipping with AppleCider16! #reading #learning http://www.educents.com/read-k-2.html/#SmartKidsHere

My analytical mind tells me saving $19 on this Analytical Grammar Set @Educents vs. Amazon is correct. :) #HS #saving #grammar http://www.educents.com/set-of-analytical-grammar.html/#SmartKidsHere

Save almost $50 on this #Minecraft coding program @Educents v Amazon. #STEM #Learning http://www.educents.com/learn-to-mod-minecraft-product.html/#SmartKidsHere

Calling all Pre-K teachers and big families - save $45 on the classroom edition of magnetic Tegu Blocks @Educents. Free Shipping with ApplieCider16 #learning #building http://www.educents.com/tegu-magnetic-wooden-blocks-classroom-kit.html/#SmartKidsHere

Teach the 5 Paragraph Essay AND good price shopping - save $42 at Educentsv Amazon. #budget #learning #writing http://www.educents.com/how-to-teach-the-five-paragraph-essay-old-1.html/#SmartKidsHere

Ms. Frizzle is my favorite co-conspirator for science learning - and Educents is the best for saving! $42 less than on Amazon + free shipping with AppleCider16! #STEM #learning #HS http://www.educents.com/magic-school-bus-science-club-deal-june.html/#SmartKidsHere

Get ahead of the rest and don't break the bank with this amazing Chinese Language Program at @educents! #learning #language #chinesehttp://www.educents.com/the-complete-petralingua-set-chinese.html/#SmartKidsHere

Tegu Blocks are my (and my kids) favorite!! Save $28 on @Educents v Amazon! #learning #hs http://www.educents.com/tegu-blocks-40-piece-magnetic-wooden-set.html/#SmartKidsHere

Time for mom to sit back and watch the kids cook! Save $21 on this great kids cooking program @Educents versus Amazon. http://www.educents.com/your-kids-cooking-a-recipe-for-turning-ordinary-kids-into-extraordinary-cooks-product.html/#SmartKidsHere

Stickers make learning stick, and great prices keep me coming back toEducents. Check out the Human Body Wall Set! #STEM #HS #Learning http://www.educents.com/peel-play-learn-human-body-set.html/#SmartKidsHere

Save $19 on Magformers at Educents v Amazon. Such a great set to keep the kids active! #hs #learning http://www.educents.com/magnets-n-motion-large-gear-set.html/#SmartKidsHere

Take the Life of Fred Elementary Math plunge at #Educents and save $14 vs. Amazon. That's good math! #STEM #Math #learning http://www.educents.com/life-of-fred-elementary-math-series.html/#SmartKidsHere

My little readers love these just as much as grandma for reading time - makes reading easier and more colorful. Save 25% at @Educents v Amazon. #reading #learning #HS http://www.educents.com/eye-lighter-guided-reading-strips-4-pk.html/#SmartKidsHere

Calming classical music plus lessons to learn - the Maestro Classics set is amazing! The best deal I've seen is @Educents. #music #learning #hs http://www.educents.com/the-complete-12-cd-maestro-classics.html/#SmartKidsHere

Stick the re-stickable stars on your wall and let the learning begin! Save 25% onEducents plus free shipping with AppleCider16 #learning #hs #STEM http://www.educents.com/solar-system-play-set.html/#SmartKidsHere

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Yes, I had a Narcissist for a mom. My story.

I started this blog because I want to help support and encourage moms and women who want to be moms. I had to learn to be a mom by myself and it was a hard skill to learn when I had no real role model. Growing up, I didn't realize my mom was a narcissist. She is not the flamboyant type to throw me into the public eye and want me to be a star. She is what I would consider a covert narcissist who likes to hide in the shadows and observe without being seen (so she can talk badly about people).

My mom is the kind of person that gets what she wants at all costs. If you do something that she is not please with, she will withdraw from your life as punishment. This is punishment because in her mind, everyone wants to know her and be close to her. Pushing people away is a game. I saw her cut off relationships with her best friend and her sister with no remorse. She felt that both women were in a competition with her and they were winning, so they had to pay by not having her in their life.

Growing up, I knew that I had to do everything my mom wanted to or pay, but I never once suspected she was so evil and could cut her grand kids and me out of her life so coldly. It all started one fall. My mom watched my nieces every weekend, even though she never once babysat my kids even for an hour. In my mom's world, there was nothing wrong with this. Playing favorites is how a person gets what they want. The least favorite has to work hard to gain approval and feed the ego of the narcissist. My family was planning on making the 600 mile trip when she informed me that having my three kids in her house was too much, that we needed to find a hotel. I reminded her that she has three kids at her house every weekend and I guess it made her mad. We decided to spend Christmas at our home instead and we didn't make the trip back. Having all the kids in a hotel room was more than I could handle. No place to nap, two beds and a crib in a small space. We decided we should stay home.

I honestly don't know what happened next. I found out from someone that my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. I called the house and left message after message. She never returned a call. I knew she felt it was powerful not to answer my calls. I could feel her smirking as I spoke to her voicemail. At first, I called her voicemail daily. Then I started leaving her voicemails on Saturdays. Eventually I gave up. I phoned her and said that for me to continue talking to an answering machine was pitiful, and that she would need to call me back. She didnt.

I don't really know what I did. I guess I never will. Two years later, I was in my hometown for Christmas. I was shopping and ran into someone from my parent's church who asked me how my dad was doing. I decided to be honest. I said I did not know how he was doing, that I had done something to upset them and they had not spoken to me in over 2 years. I said I didn't know how someone could call themselves a christian and not talk to their own grand kids.

Big Mistake. Calling out a narcissist who believes themselves to be perfect is the worst thing I could have ever done. From that point on, I was a liar. They were not talking to me because I lied to people about them and I needed to apologize (to their answering machine). I live 600 miles from my parents and they took "the entire family" on a last vacation with my dad and drove within a mile of my house. I still cry when I think about that. My family were posting pictures all over the internet. They knew it was the last vacation they would ever take and they chose to shut us out. There was no forgiveness in their heart, there was no willingness to talk.

I did give it one last try. I spoke to a family friend. She gathered a group of people who knew my parents and prayed. She said they all prayed for days before she phoned my dad. Knowing my father to be a christian, I just knew she could get through to him. I knew he would listen to someone from my childhood church, but my hopes were smashed. She phoned me in tears. She said she spoke to my dad on the phone and did not even recognize him for the hate in his heart. She said she tried to talk to him about me, but that he kept saying he refused to talk to me because I was a liar. She asked him how someone could be a liar by speaking the truth, but she said he kept insisting that I lied to make them look bad to their church. She said she had never known him to be so unforgiving, so hateful and so mean. She said she finally decided to try to stop making him see that he was the one lying and asked, "What would your daughter need to do to make you love her again?". She said that before he slammed the phone down, he said, "Nothing she can do". Now when people say prayer works, I don't believe them.

A few nights later, I got a call from my sister. She reprimanded me for involving an "outsider" in a "family" fight. She said I had no right to involve someone else. I asked her what I was supposed to do since it had now been nearly four years since our parents had spoken to me and our father was DYING. She said he was not dying. She was in total denial and said that she only wanted to hear sunshine and rainbows from me if I ever spoke to her again. I still don't understand how she could be angry at me for wanting a relationship with my parents. I knew how my parents felt through my sister's words. They felt ambushed. They did not want to talk to me and were not ready, so my effort was met with hostility, not forgiveness.

I was crying one day when I realized something. If my dad died, my narcissist mom was going to expect me to be at his funeral. She would decide that I had paid enough for whatever it was that I did to offend her simply because she didn't want people talking about her. I decided that if my dad was able to talk to me when she made her realization, that I would be open to a reconciliation. I also made the hardest decision I ever made in my life. I decided that if she waited until my dad could no longer speak, that I would not acknowledge her or go to his funeral. It had been over four years and my kids wouldn't even know them if they walked up to us. How could I point to a dead man and say, "That is your grandpa who wanted nothing to do with you". I couldn't.

I decided I would only be open to talking to my parents again if BOTH of them could talk and if they wanted to put my kids in their life. I didn't get a call from my mom. I got an email. The day before he died. Her email to me said, "We aren't mad, but you can apologize now". It didn't say for what. I pondered it for a bit, then deleted it. If they weren't mad, then why had my kids lost a relationship with their grandparents? Why would I need to apologize if they weren't mad? It made no sense. My niece phoned me that night to say that my dad had died. I didn't call, I didn't send flowers and I didn't answer the mass email my mom sent telling people what time to be there for the funeral. My sister said, "He made peace with god". I never told her how hurtful that sentence was. She said my dad could leave me here on earth crying and hurting, but since he made peace with a god, it was all OK. My feelings meant nothing to his god. My God would have said to make every effort to make peace with your family before dying.

I waited a month, then I made the second biggest mistake of my life. I emailed the woman who gave birth to me and said that I would not be accepting calls or emails from her again. I told her that what she did was called stonewalling and it is a narcissistic trait and that I would not talk to her or read emails from her again. I decided that it had been over four years and my kids had mourned their grandparents already. Why allow her back into my life now? She stole the last four years of my dad's life from me and my family. The price I had to pay was too much. How long before I would have to pay again? Looking back, I should not have emailed her. She never bothered to tell me what I had done that so offended her that she cut me and my kids out of her life completely so why would I think that telling her was a good idea? She shot back an email with "DRAMA QUEEN" as the title, but I didn't read it. I kept my word and deleted it and blocked her email.

I thought very hard about telling my story and I am crying as I type. I grew up in a house where you did what my mom wanted to do or you paid the price. There was abuse, isolation and I lived in a closed off, small world. I decided to tell my story to encourage other women to be good moms. I grew up with a bad mom. Not the worst mom ever, but there was no joy in my life. I didn't want that for my kids. I wanted to be a good mom who brings joy to their lives and who coaches them to be the best they can be. I had to learn how to be a good mom. I had to learn to cook and clean and to teach my kids. I had to learn to raise a family without the abuse that I was subjected to...and I did. I want that for each and every mom out there. I want you to grow as a mom. I want you to enjoy caring for your family and to love each other. Where you came from is not important in your ability to be a very good mom. You only need to want to learn to be a good parent and to be willing to put effort into it. You need to love your kids for who they are and not try to change them. To help them develop their skills and interests and to help them become successful in finding their path in life. I hope that I can encourage you on your way.

I hope you enjoy my blog and I hope you are able to learn from it.

But remember:

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Six Key points to paying for your kids’ college

College tuition is expensive and paying for it may seem nearly impossible. Parents can send their kids into the world straddled in debt and possibly stuck in a dead end job due to the need to pay back loans or parents can save for their kid’s college and give them the gift of starting life on their own debt free. I successfully send four to college without ever taking out a loan and did it on an average income. I did not work until my youngest kid entered high school, and even then I only worked part time. I needed 168,000 to send myself and my kids to college. I received no help from the government; I did not take out any loans. I saved every single dollar. How did I do it?

Start Early

Let compound interest work in your favor. You will need this compounding to work for you if you want any hope of paying tuition in full. It is great if you can start when your child is born, but even if you can’t, the earlier you save the better off you are. If you wait until your child is in high school, you would need to save over $1250 a month to pay for a college costing $15,000 per year.

I invested in two different ways. I gave each of my kids a 529 plan, with the youngest one’s plan not well funded. I didn’t fund the youngest child’s because he had siblings and if they had anything leftover, it was going to be rolled into his account anyway. I also decided to save money outside of the 529 plans for them in case they needed things a 529 would not cover. I saved money for my own college expenses outside of a 529 plan, because I was over 30 years old, I had to put my money into a mutual fund.

Save consistently

Save something from every paycheck. If you can get an automated investment, you won’t be tempted to not save. Automated savings is a great thing. No need to think about it because the money automatically goes into the account. You can also use unexpected money to fund your kids’ college account. Get a refund from a doctor or dentist visit? Pop it right into the 529 plan.

Give grandma and grandpa the 529 accounts and allow them to help you save for your kids’ college. My parents could not care less that they had grandkids, so I was not lucky enough to have grandparents that would help, but if you are lucky, take advantage of it and allow the grandparents to help.

Take advantage of compound interest

Why is that important? Because $20 a week invested at 5% for 18 years is $30342, but $20 per week invested at 16% is 107,988. That could be the difference between living at home and going to community college and going to a good public school and living on campus. Think you can’t make 16%? According to http://www.stockpickssystem.com/historical-rate-of-return/ the average rate of return for the stock market for the 20th century was 10.4% and from 2010 to 2013 the stock market averaged 16.74%. (I receive no benefit from linking their website, just giving credit to them for their research)

Keep an eye on costs to make sure you are on target

Tuition costs do go up and they tend to go up every year. The first and second semester my son was in college, his tuition bill was about $7500, but his second year came in at over $8000 per semester and food costs went up as well and his tuition has continued to go up each year. Luckily we made sure we had a cushion outside of the 529 for just in case tuition increased more than we had anticipated.

As your income increases, save more money

I went to school and got a two year degree for about $30,000. I worked full time for a year while getting a bachelor’s degree online for an additional $13,000. During this time, I set aside my net income for tuition, but after a year, I dropped to working one day a week to supplement three kids going to college.

Continue to save until the last child graduates

Yes, with three kids who were close in age, we did not have the tuition fully saved by the time the first kid started college and we continued to save as all three take classes. You will have a better idea of how much more money you need when it is time for your kid to start college. Be wary of over saving inside of a 529 though. Money in a 529 has to be used for college tuition and certain college expenses. Money that is not used before their 30^th birthday either needs to be given to another beneficiary that meets the requirements (a family member) or penalties are paid if there is no qualified beneficiary to designate the account to go to. Once my youngest started college, we send the remaining 529 money to him and when that was gone, we started using money we had saved outside of the 529. We will not have to worry about leaving money in a 529 plan.

Let me know how you are doing with saving for your kids college in the comments below.

Want to read more? Click my link to see how to feed a family on $70 a week. 70 a week

© Emma Francis and EmmaFrancisishome@bloger.com, 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Emma Francis and EmmaFrancisishome@blogger.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Free Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart

We all question from time to time how long we can keep something, or if it freezes. Below find a link to a pdf that even tells if something freezes well.

If you like my posts, Please put your email in the link below.

The chart:

Fridge and Freezer chart

Want to see some of my other posts? My cleaned and organized fridge
This week's cleaning and organizing chore list Chore List For This Week
My thoughts on your "Good" China Good China

Monday, June 20, 2016

Homemade shower and tub cleaner - safe for toddlers

Yesterday, I noticed a scum ring in my tub, so I grabbed the spray bottle of chemicals and sprayed it down. I scrubbed it and gave it a quick rinse and moved on to other tasks because I have a toddler in my house.

Not even an hour later, I was playing with my toddler. We were making dad a gift of painted hand prints when my son took his painted hand and landed it right on top of his head. Needless to say that when we finished, one of us needed a good bath.

I ran some water and put him into the tub. I grabbed a washcloth to start working on the paint while he played with his bath toys. He ran a truck along the water line and it filled with water. He then took a drink of the water. This had scraped the area where I had sprayed chemicals. Ew.

I grabbed the bottle and had a look to see what was in the cleaner. Ew. I couldn't even pronounce the names of the ingredients.

I then decided that from now on, I will only clean my tub and shower with things that won't harm my son (in small quantities).

TUB
So to clean my tub I use baking soda and vinegar. When you combine the two, they will fizz, but use enough vinegar to make a paste and scrub the scum away with a sponge, then rinse. It works like magic.

SHOWER
For the shower, I use a spray bottle labeled VINEGAR and I spray vinegar onto the shower wall. I then sprinkle some baking soda onto my sponge and wipe the shower wall. Rinse afterwards.

Yesterday, I called a glass company in to get an estimate for a new shower. Would you believe that the contractor said not to use harsh chemicals. He said they recommend vinegar and baking soda. wow!

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Feed your family Cheap Week 1 FREE Shopping list and Ideas for saving additional

I shopped at Food Lion and Kroger. For convenience I rounded prices ending in .99 up to the next dollar.

5 lbs chicken breast 10.00

Rice32 ounces 1.28

Baguette Loaf for garlic bread and subs (2)3.00

Lunch meat for subs 4.69

Lettuce – 2 heads..one now, one later in week 2.00 (99cents each bought one now)

Tomato – for salads, salsa and subs 2.13

Cucumber .50

Bread 1.50

Tortilla shells 1.75

Bag of potatoes 3.00

Turkey or veg burgers 5.00

Burger buns 1.00

Mayo (I have this but it’s 1.75)

Corn on cob 2.00 for 5 ears

Ham steak 3.50

Broccoli 1.59

Carrots .99

Green beans 1.00

Tomato sauce .75

Tomato paste .75

Diced tomatoes 1.25

Onion 2 large onions 1.31

Pineapple 3.00

Rice crispies 2.50

Bag of marshmellows .75

Box of brownie mix 1.38

Eggs 1.59

Strawberries 2.00

Bananas 1.40 seven bananas

Frozen fruit for smoothies 4.00

Pancake mix (I don’t make these from scratch but you could if you wanted) 2.00

Ice cream 2.00

Milk 1.60

Total 70.22

Leftovers at end of week:

This is week 1 and I will have some leftover rice and some leftover chicken plus leftover tortilla shells for next week.

Pantry items:

I currently have butter for the corn, peanut butter and mayo plus Italian spices for the spaghetti sauce. I also have half of a bag of shredded mozzarella cheese for make your own pizza lunches. I also have a bottle of salad dressing that I paid $1 for in the pantry that we will use for salads. If you have not purchased the pantry items, you will need to pick those up this week.

Leftovers:

Once I make Hawaiian chicken, the leftover pineapple is free for snacking.

Depending on the night, I cook for 2 teenaged boys and one small girl, or one teenaged boy and one small girl (plus hubby and myself). We are not milk drinkers, so I buy a small container of milk for cereal.

Hints:

I cube or slice all my chicken because I found that there is less waste and the chicken cooks faster.

What could I have done to make it cheaper? Ragu spaghetti sauce was on sale for. 1.57 this week, which is cheaper than homemade. I prefer homemade because I don’t add sugar and Ragu does. I could have substituted subs for blt’s. Bacon was cheaper than sub meat and could be served on our cheaper loaf bread. Hamburgers here are pretty expensive. I could change this meal out for a cheaper meal, but we prefer the variety even if it is a little more expensive. Instead of buying an entire pineapple for $3.00 I could have bought a can of pineapple for 1.00, but there is salt added to canned pineapple and we prefer fresh. Finally, smoothies are expensive. If I cut those out and replace them with other options, we could save about $2.00 more. A container of oatmeal cost about 1.50 and lasts for weeks.

Not cheap enough? Check out my extremely low budget here Emergency Low Food Budget

Or go back to the original list here Feed Your Family on $70

Feed your family of five on $70 a week (teenagers included) Week 1

My rules:

No ramen/no premade mac n cheese and no hamburger helper
Fresh when possible

Hawaiian chicken skewers, rice, green beans

Spaghetti with homemade sauce, homemade garlic bread, salad of cucumber and tomato

Chicken soft Tacos, salsa chips or Rice

Hamburgers (turkey burgers or veg burgers) potato salad, green salad

Grilled bbq chicken, mashed potatoes

Ham steak, carrots, corn

Grilled chicken, potato wedges, mixed green beans, broccoli and carrots

Lunches:

Make your own salad

leftovers

Fajita Chicken Salad

Peanut butter sandwiches

Make your own pizza with tortilla as crust

Subs, homemade fries

Breakfasts

Cereal rice crispies

toast and eggs

pancakes with strawberry

smoothie or smoothie bowl

peanut butter on toast

I dont make desserts nightly, but I do make them a once or twice a week.

Desserts:

brownies

rice crispie treats

Ice cream

What could I do to make it cheaper? Click over to my shopping list with prices and a list of ideas I could have used to make this week cheaper.

Continue on here: FREE COPY of my Shopping list with prices are here: Shopping list with prices.

public domain photo from pixabay.com

Friday, June 17, 2016

My relief from Plantar Fasciitis

It all started with a vacation trip. I decided to save packing space and only packed one pair of shoes. The shoes were flat with zero support, but it was only for 5 days, so what harm could come from that, right? We take active vacations. We hike, we see museums, we are on the move all day long. The third day in, my feet started to hurt. I let hubby know they were bothering me, but he had no sympathy. He ranted and raved that I was ruining his vacation and he continued to drag me around. Two more days in and dragging me around wasn't an option. My feet were so swollen that I could barely get the shoes on and any pressure on them at all sent excruciating pain up the backs of my legs and under my feet. I was in tears from the pain.

We made it home and I phoned my family Dr who referred me to an orthopedist. The first available appointment was six weeks out. I was miserable for those six weeks and stayed off of my feet as much as possible. I gained over 10 lbs in those six weeks because I am usually a very active person. The appointment finally came and the doctor said he thought I might have plantar fasciitis and he recommended I go to a drug store and buy a device to wear at night that holds your foot at a 90 degree angle. I bought two. I am not saying that these were a bad product, because they did help some, but my foot was so damaged that in order for it to get near 90 degrees, the part of the orthotic that went around my shin bit into my calf very hard and caused problems. No mention was made of my foot being nearly twice the size that it should have been.

I was frustrated and looked up another physician in town. When I phoned them, they said they could see me in two weeks. They apologized for the delay and said that they were opening new offices as fast as they could and should be able to see people in a more timely manner very soon. I was impressed that they thought 2 weeks was a long wait and scheduled an appointment.

They gave me a cortisone shot and sent me to physical therapy, six weeks later, another cortisone shot and more physical therapy. I was also given a boot to wear non-stop for two weeks on one foot, then I was to wear it for two weeks on the other foot. After the two weeks, I was to wear the boots at night. I got one more cortisone shot before I was told by the Dr that the therapy was not working that they needed to try something else. He recommended an ultrasound therapy that was not covered by my insurance. I went for three sessions on each foot. My right foot reacted very well and the pain and swelling were gone. I still limped on my left foot though and could not walk well. I could not tel you why the ultrasound worked on my right foot but not my left.

I went back to the physician and he recommended a procedure that I had never heard of before. It was called a tenex. He explained that he would stab a micro blade into my foot and use ultrasound to break up the damaged tissue. My foot was numbed and I was put asleep for the procedure. I woke up with a numb foot and had to wear the boot for two weeks.

When the boot was removed, I felt some relief, but I felt sore. It was a different type of sore than before. Over the next few weeks, the soreness subsided and I was able to walk. I wore my custom orthotics religiously and did not walk barefoot because I had been instructed to. For a few months after, if I stood too long, my feet would hurt, but they have never hurt like they did prior to the procedure.

I would highly recommend this procedure if your physician says you are a candidate. It has been almost a year since my procedure, and I can walk barefoot for short distances. I can run, I can walk and I can stand. I would do it all over again.

Want to see my favorite chicken? Click over here Mahogony Chicken

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Family and the food budget. Emergency situations.

Today I want to talk about what to do if something comes up and you need to lower your food budget for the week. Depending on how low you need to go, your diet may be pretty bland, but by keeping a few staples on hand, you can liven it up.

Budget Crisis Must Haves:
Potatoes
Carrots
Onions
Spaghetti Noodles
Spaghetti sauce
Rice
Chickpeas or lentils
chicken if you eat meat .which ever is cheapest per pound and has bones
Eggs if you eat meat
Oats
Bread
Peanut butter
milk (either almond or cow's milk)
frozen vegetables
bananas
canned peaches

condiments:
ketchup, soy sauce and tomato paste are our favorites

You can do just about anything with eggs. Breakfast is going to be either eggs or oatmeal, or you can toast some oatmeal and make granola (peanut butter granola is good). You can shred potatoes and make hash browns.
Meals:

1) spaghetti with tomato sauce and added lentils for protein or added chicken
2) spaghetti with soy sauce, frozen vegetables and either lentils or chicken
3) rice as a stirfry with vegetables and/or chicken

We also have a dish that we serve over rice that has no meat in it.

4) cut potatoes and carrots into bite sized chunks and cook until barely fork tender. While they are cooking, cut some onion and add to a skillet with some water and pan steam it. when the potatoes and carrots are done, add them to the pot. Next add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and enough water to thin it out. You can add whatever spices you have on hand (any green ones are good) or just some salt. Cook until the tomato paste coats everything. Serve over plain rice.

That meal can also be made with chick peas, or you can add chick peas to it, which ever you prefer. Indian spices are also good with this mix if you have them.

5) French fries as a meal (baked or fried)
6) Mashed potatoes as a meal or with a meal. Add an egg and coat them in flour to fry them or just warm them up
7) chicken served with carrots and potatoes (this one can get pretty expensive)
8) soup or stew with chicken and vegetables

Remember, these meals are not ideal, but they aren't ramen either.

What items are your favorite emergency budget pantry items to keep on hand?

If you are interested in something else to read, head over to my cleaning out the fridge post. FRIDGE

Or my weekly meal plan BUDGET FRIENDLY WEEKLY MEAL PLAN

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My Mom Is A Narcissist

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