Tastefully Frugal?! What's that all about?

Five years ago I usually didn't think about what I was going to be eating two hours ahead of time let alone two weeks ahead of time; but things sure do change. Let me tell you a little bit about myself and why I decided to start this blog.

In 2009 I was working in a job I loved with my whole heart! I thrived off my successes and analyzed every failure in hopes of being the best... and I almost got there (Second in a company of thousands of employees for sales isn't too shabby). I was working 40-60 hours a week and was totally fine with that. I would usually get fast food or have something delivered for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. Like I said I never really thought ahead much when it came to eating. Then all that changed when I met the amazing man who is now my husband, Jeremy. The eating out part didn't change much; in fact when asked by a co-worker if he was worried I couldn't cook he responded 'Sure she can cook, she has a cell phone and a credit card.' He's a keeper I know! But what did change was what was important to me. I no longer was OK with working 60 hour weeks; it wasn't fun working until ten or eleven o'clock at night and only having a few hours to spend together, or having to work weekends. After two years my heart was no longer with my job. I had found the person I wanted to spend forever with and that was never going to happen if we only saw each other an hour or two a day. So I quit. And it was a good thing because 3 months later we found out our family was going to start growing sooner than planned.

Flash forward three years and our lives are forever changed by the birth of our son, Rohrl. When we found out we were pregnant we had decided I was going to stop working outside the home when the baby came and be a stay at home mom. I had always known that when the time came to have a family I wanted to stay home with the kids... I just never thought the day would come before I was 30. Taking care of a new baby was definitely an adjustment but it wasn't the hardest adjustment for me. I had become accustomed to being able to go to McDonald's or Chili's whenever I was hungry, and only going to the grocery store for snacks or toiletries. Now things were completely different.

Not only were finances tighter because we had gone from two incomes to one but also my body was different. I couldn't continue to eat junk food 24/7 and expect to lose all that extra weight from the baby. But more importantly, I knew that if I continued my eating habits there was no way I was going to be able to keep up with him as he got older (And man is he an active boy!) That's when I knew something had to change. I started slowly planning meals. Just main dishes at first 4-5 times a week and then added side dishes and snacks. We went from spending $500+ per month on food (when we were eating out all the time) to $200 or less per month. And you know what, I wasn't too bad a cook. Six months after Rohrl was born we got another surprise... We were having another baby! Now more than ever it was important to eat healthy and keep expenses down. 

And now we're back to present day. Two amazing little boys (clones of their dad really) and one wonderful, supportive husband. A lot has changed in five years. My love for cooking and baking has grown and I love doing (more like trying) crafts. I never would've thought by the time I was 27 I would be a cooking, crafting, DIY'ing mommy and wife but I sure am loving it! I wanted to start this blog not only as a way to keep track of recipes and meal plans but also to help other moms, or dads, or anyone really who may be looking for ways to create meal plans and meals that their families will enjoy without having to break the bank! I'll be sharing meal plans twice a month, and try to post a new recipe daily. I'm excited to finally have a home for all my recipes and ideas and am looking forward to sharing them with you too!