Thoughts from Rick Warren

I read this post by Pastor Rick Warren and thought it was relevent for anyone trying to get out of debt. Enjoy!

Store Brand vs. Name Brand

This seems to be the big debate these days. Do I buy the store brand or the name brand? Is the cost savings worth the risk of bad tasting foods? Well, I'm here to tell you that store brand on almost everything is worth the savings. Currently, in my pantry and refrigerator, 75% of the products are store brand. Certainly things like rice, vegetable broths and beans are easy to put in the store brand category. However, there are many items that most don't even think of store brand for that are quite tasty. We purchase store brand soy milk, sparkling water, frozen vegetables. All taste great. My shocker was when I bought store brand Chex and Krispies for some reason I thought they wouldn't taste right. For a 50% savings on cereal, we have great tasting store brand products.

Now, there were a few things we didn't like. Cola wasn't the same as Coke or Pepsi and the Taco seasoning packets didn't have any flavor. So we have had a couple of not so great experiences with this but in the grand scheme of things, they are minimal. The one thing I would say is don't save on the spices. We get our spices from a local place Pensey's Spices and they are phenomenal. I only buy the small 3.2 oz size so we always have fresh spices and it makes a big difference in the taste of our foods.

My challenge to you is to try one store brand item a week and soon your grocery bill will be reduced by 20 - 30%. Even if you have a crazy allergen free diet like ours! Let me know how it goes...

God Bless.

An Afternoon of Free Fun

This weekend my husband suggested a museum. Not being a museum kind of girl, I thought only if it's free. Amazingly enough the Minnesota Institute of Art is free thanks to the friends of MIA. So this afternoon we spent strolling through the Art Institute and I was pleasantly surprised with my enjoyment of the afternoon.

It was a time to stroll, think and view beauty. The Institute was filled with families, couples and art students. As we strolled through the exhibit room I observed quite a variety of folks. In one room, we encountered a mom and two kids. The two young boys were re drawing a photo while mom was able to view the art. In another room a family was sitting and viewing a photo. The kids were asking mom and dad questions about the photos. In yet another room, a baby was crawling on the floor while mom was looking at art. The museum attracts all walks of life with it's free afternoon of fun.

We will be going back. It's only 5 miles from the house, free admission and free parking. What more could you want. I imagine me blogging from there in the near future. The windows, wood flooring and atmosphere just increase one's creativity. Check out your museums...you may be surprised on the free fun you can have in your city too!