Category Archives: Shopping

The Blessing of a Buffalo

Ty and Blake at the buffalo hunt

 

For over a year I purchased our meat in the grocery store.  I didn’t enjoy it.

Our buffalo meat from 2 years ago had run out and we kept coming up short on finding grass-fed beef to purchase.  So, our freezer sat rather empty as we waited for the next time Ty could go buffalo hunting.

Veteran’s Day this year, that chance came!

Some of you probably know how incredibly expensive buffalo meat is.  Because of the interest in breeding buffalo in recent years, the buffalo (or American bison) is no longer an endangered species; however, they are naturally organic and we all know how very expensive organic meat is.  Hunting your own is actually a great investment because you get not only the burger, but steaks and roasts all for the same processing fee.

Additionally, buffalo meat offers us some amazing health benefits!

BBQ buffalo

BBQ Buffalo!

Buffalo beats almost every other meat hands down in the nutrition department.  Plus, as I said, it is organic because buffalo are naturally free-ranging animals that don’t like to be messed with.

The biggest benefit for me is the high iron content!  I struggle with anemia, especially in pregnancy, so eating buffalo meat (cooked in cast iron) is very good for me.

It does smell different cooking than beef and you do have to cook it low and slow because of the next to nil fat content, but those minor adjustments are well worth a freezer full of wonderful meat!

Yes, I know some people wouldn’t be okay with the buffalo head hanging on my wall (I got a lot of comments on that post about being a good woman for allowing that!) or the buffalo robe on my bed (yes, it’s called a robe and not a “rug”), but I dare you to argue with me about the meat!

So, this Christmas I am blessed to have buffalo…a whole freezer load of lovely buffalo!

Buy Less, Declutter More and Share Christmas with Us!

It’s Cyber Monday and here I am telling you to get rid of stuff! And not only am I telling you to get rid of stuff, I’m also going to tell you that you probably don’t need to replace all that stuff with more stuff!

You see, come February 1 (that’s not all that far off!), we will be moving…AGAIN. So, my admonition to you to clear the clutter and make wise buying decisions is really an admonition to myself. {and this post at The Better Mom cheered me along!}

So, I am being brutal!  I’m working through my tried and true decluttering methods (someday I’ll let you in on those, but now just isn’t the time!) and really focusing on getting rid of things!  So far, 10 (yes TEN) bags have gone to the thrift store and just about that many have hit the trash!  Even though I’ve done this before (see my Half My Stuff posts), clutter never really is conquered until you learn to not allow it in.  And even then, it still accumulates because we are not able to control what others bring into our homes.  It really is an ongoing process.

This holiday season, you won’t see a lot of posts here at Raising Arrows about the best holiday deals or buying more stuff to add to the stuff you already have.  In fact, what we will be doing is sharing our family traditions and the things we do during the holidays that have become near and dear to us.  We celebrate Christ and the family of God this season…not stuff.

So, buy less, declutter more and join us for a Raising Arrows Christmas!

 

Freebie for Subscribers – Basic Meals and Grocery List

This month I am offering something special just for my subscribers!

A FREE Basic Meals List and Basic Meals Grocery List!

This freebie will give you a rotating meal list with very simple recipes as well as the shopping list you will need to make every single meal 4x in one month.

This is a no-brainer list for the times in your life when you are too busy to think or living in a crisis and can’t devote energy to making a meal list.  You can use the list as a starting point or print it off and run to the grocery store today!

Simply fill out the form below and look for the link in the bottom of each post that comes to your inbox! {RSS for those of you who prefer feed readers can be found by clicking on the coffee cup in my right hand sidebar}

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Streamlined Meal Planning {LFO}

Today’s Large Family Organization tip is from Lisa Mather, mom of 6, from A Day in the Life of Raising 6 Munchkins (you can also find her beautiful handiwork at Six Munchkin Stitching!)

Photobucket

One thing that has helped me is to menu plan.  I will sit down on a Sunday afternoon and plan meals for the next two weeks on a calendar that I’ve printed off of the computer.

I’ll have already placed dates and events that I need to remember to better plan the meals, whether they’ll need to be a quicker meal or a day where I’ll have the availability for a meal that requires more prep.

As I am writing down my meals, I have a shopping list right next to me to write down the ingredients I’ll need that I don’t have already in the house.

If I am unsure of what I have left, my daughter becomes the gofer and will go on the hunt for me.

It has helped tremendously with impulse shopping as well as the, “What should I make for dinner?” dilemma.  It also provided flexibility for those days where you forget to defrost meat and are able to look at the menu and go, “Okay, I can make Monday’s meal today and this meal on Monday.”

Note from Amy: This perfectly compliments what we do with our Once a Month Shopping.  To learn more about it, click here: Once a Month Shopping Series.

 

Do you have a Large Family Organization tip you’d like to share? Link up and/or send it in to amy at raisingarrows.net

Note: you can link up AND submit the same tip to be featured here on Raising Arrows!

Click here for submission guidelines and button code.


Free Once a Month Shopping Master Grocery List

I kept saying one day I would revamp my Master Grocery List because a lot has changed since I first wrote it out.  In fact, a lot has changed since I first shared Once a Month Shopping with you here on Raising Arrows.  But, I just couldn’t seem to find the time and every month, I would continue to print out my old master list and make do.

Well, I finally found the time this past week to actually sit down and rework the entire thing and while I was doing that, I decided to rework the series and make my new master list available to all of you in a more user-friendly format!

Once a Month Master Grocery List

This list is still highly personalized to our family (with a few additions like hamburger even though we typically have buffalo or a side of beef in the freezer), but my hope is that you will get a good idea as to how this works so you can eventually create your own (that’s how I started!).  This list was created in a simple Word document, so not a big deal for you to replicate and personalize for your own family.

Print it out, take it for a test drive, then rework it for you!

Want to know more about Once a Month Shopping?  Read the series!
Introduction to Once a Month Shopping
Master Meal List
Master Grocery List
Shopping Day

She Wears Skirts – Footwear

{To read all the posts in this series, click on the She Wears Skirts button.}

This little piggy went to market…

This little piggy stayed home…

This little piggy ate roast beef…

And this little piggy couldn’t find anything to wear with a skirt!

And from the comments I hear around the marketplace, I’m not alone!

We all know what to wear in summer…

Sandals

or

Free little piggies (aka BARE FEET)

But, what in the world do we wear when our little piggies are freezing?

Here are a few suggestions and links and then a real treat…MY footwear via video tour!  I know you are all at the edge of your seat wondering what’s on Amy’s feet, but I have to tell you, my shoes are pretty personal.  I like what I like and I am all about comfort!  I am also all about CHEAP FRUGAL.

The links and pictures I am going to share below are not all inexpensive, but that doesn’t mean a knock-off version doesn’t exist or that you can’t find expensive shoes for cheap at places like thrift stores and consignment shops.  I also realize many women MUST buy high quality shoes because of foot problems.  I’m simply trying to offer you an idea of what to look for.  Take note, personalize it, and be on the look out! (all pictures are clickable so you can see more information about the shoes)

*Mary Janes

There are a million and one Mary Janes out there.  Just take a look at this page from Amazon.  I personally LOVE Mary Janes and particularly this Sketchers style:

{I own a Payless knock off that is comfortable-enough, but not incredibly supportive}

Mary Janes are shoes that look definitively feminine.  There’s no question about it, these are girl shoes.

2. Mules

Not the most feminine name, but these are another favorite of mine.  The ones above have a funky flair that would be great for dressing down an outfit.  To dress it up, choose ones with a bit of a heel or a sheen.

One word of caution…some mules are backless.  For anyone who does not have a lot of strength in their feet and ankles (like my mom who had polio as a child), backless shoes are NOT a good option.  Your toes have to work to keep the shoes on.  Sometimes there is enough of a lip at the back or a strap to help with this, but it still doesn’t make for a good shoe for someone with weak feet.  {The mules above DO have a decent amount of lip at the back that would keep the shoe on.}

3. Boots

Think outside the boot box on this one.  As I was searching through boots on Amazon for ones that conveyed what I wanted to say here, I found the boot above and smiled.  They just LOOK warm!

I prefer boots that have give in the leg portion (like the one above) because as a busy mom, you are not going to want anything that will hinder you from easily getting up and down with little ones.  You also might look at a lower cut boot like this one that can serve for dressed up or dressed down:

I also found these fun insulated shoes that look quite comfy and useful:

And if you are weird like me, you’ll wear Rope Sandals with socks in the winter.  As long as it isn’t snowing! ;)

Now, as promised…

Amy’s shoes (disclaimer: I really do NEED every single pair shown here…really…)

Footwear from Raising Arrows on Vimeo.

Now, it’s your turn!  What are your favorite shoes to wear with skirts and why?

And please, be in prayer for Caroline from The Modest Mom as she is not feeling well and was unable to join us this week. Head over to her blog and leave her a little note of encouragement!

She Wears Skirts series:

brought to you by: