Hello Friend,

We need to talk about this today because... we lost one of our major sources of income recently (my husband's full time job),

which is why it's important to have Multiple Income Streams everybody! So, now we must spend less money on baked goods. Here are a few of our past "tried with much success" tips - some we are still doing and some we are going back to...

Flour - buy it in bulk, to keep it from getting "buggy," freeze it overnight, then store it in airtight containers. Label it so you use up the oldest first. I have been going to a local small store that sells flour in a 50 lb bag. Sometimes, I buy the wheat berries and grind them myself with my inexpensive tool that attaches to my KitchenAid. The instructions say to only run it up to 30 minutes at a time or you will burn out your motor, so I set a timer for 20 minutes to be safe. And that has been working for me. With hard wheat berries, I do have to put it through 3 or 4 times to get the fine consistency, but I can't afford an expensive grain mill.
Sugar - this is least expensive when bought in bulk too. We buy it by the 50 lbs amount. Look for an Amish or Mennonite type of store near you for the best deals.
Rolled Oats - another one I buy locally in a 50 lbs amount.
Yeast - it's best to have a sourdough starter always going, so it feels like it really costs nothing. If you don't prefer to do this, try to find a source of bulk yeast.
Milk - Get a 5 gallon bucket of whole powdered milk. It makes 68 gallons of milk when mixed with water. Then you are only paying $2.05/gallon. If your kids won't drink it, no big deal, use it in your baking. Every time you make a recipe that calls for milk, use this.
Eggs - use my egg substitute recipe to replace one egg in your baked goods, this adds up over time.
Baking Powder - Make your own by mixing 1/4 tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp cream of tartar (best price bought in bulk on these). These need to be stored separately, as it does not keep pre-mixed. So just add each to your recipe as needed.

I know it's scary to "buy in bulk" as it seems like so much money out at one time. You just save up for one item and buy it, then save for the next and buy it. By doing this, I have found that they don't often run out at the same time. Maybe you will end up only buying one a month or every few months at some point.

A Post on Our Blog

Master Books Math Lessons For A Living Education Grade 1 Review

What We Have Been Adding To Our Etsy Shop...

We have been working the abandoned storage unit auction resale business really hard since the job loss and one unit we bought was loaded with 5 big plastic totes of Stampin Up Rubber Stamps. So I add more nearly every day to my Etsy shop. If you want to offer me a different price than what I have listed, shoot me an email, I am happy to make an exception for you.

Retired Stampin Up Rubber Stamps on Etsy

See it here

Something I Need Ideas About

"There's trash in every unit!" is a famous quote by me. What is the best deal on quality 13 gallon trash bags? The color doesn't matter. I have been buying trash bags at Sam's Club as 9 cents/bag (price in my area with tax divided by the 200 bags) is the best deal I know of, but if you have a better idea - please reply and tell me. I am "all ears!"

I am off to teach today's homeschool lessons to my children.

Have a joy filled day!

~Amy at NeededInTheHome - Website - Faith Testimony