Introducing the New Webseries: How to Survive on a Tight Budget

How to Survive on a Tight Budget: A Webseries from Journey to Life 

Not to brag, but I've had plenty of people ask me how in the world I am able to make ends meet. For awhile, I was the sole income for my household, working less than 40 hours a week at barely above minimum wage and able to make it work. Now, I'll admit, I do have quite a bit of help from extra scholarships among other things, but I am confident that with my tips and tricks, I can help anyone stick to a budget and figure out how to survive in this economy. So, with that said, I am creating a new webseries with different "Lessons" filled with my tips and tricks. I've created an outline so far and the following Lessons are being created now:

Lesson 1: Creating A Budget and Knowing Your Limits
This Lesson will look into how to create a budget, how to figure out your "limits" in regards to spending, and why it's important to know all of this before cutting corners.

Lesson 2: Shopping Trips--From Couponing to DIY
Ahh, couponing. I've been asked by many for this blog, and I look forward to writing it. We''ll explore what couponing means, the different ways to do it, and a brief look into DIY (do-it-yourself) rather than spending good money on pricey items that can be made yourself. Focus on grocery items and household goods.

Lesson 3: The Internet is Your Friend!
A deep look into how the internet can help you accomplish many tasks--from finding a recipe for the night's dinner and further help with budgeting to tutorials on making your own clothes and earning rewards!

Lesson 4: ....And So are Reward Programs!
What was that about rewards? Oh yeah, that's the internet thing again. This post will focus on nothing but the many rewards programs out there, how to get into them, what rewards they offer and what I recommend. I had a post back in March that dabbled in this, but I want to go a little more in depth with it. What sayest thou?

Lesson 5: Family Outings and Other Fun Things on a Budget\
Everyone wants to spend time with their friends and family doing things other than nights in (though that shouldn't be discounted!). So what is there to do? Of course, since I'm based in Knoxville, most of this will be focused in East Tennessee, though I will definitely get into how to find these free/cheap things to do in your hometown.

Lesson 6: Repurposing and Reusing: A Further Investigation in DIY
A bit of a further look into DIY and learning how to make things for yourself. Noted in this post will be my clotheslines and how to find recipes for DIY household cleaners and other items. This will be a very BROAD post, with specific examples, but I'm sure there'll be something for everyone.

Lesson 7: A Little Money on the Side Never Hurts
And of course, we can't forget the "How to Find Money!" posts. I'll explore the different options on how to get a little bit of money on the side, whether its running a home business, selling unwanted/unneeded items, or utilizing that Internet again.

I'm looking forward to writing these over the next few weeks and doing this. One question remains, and that my friends is where you come in.


What do YOU want to see in this webseries?

Recipe 2: Delicious Veggie Soup! in a Crock Pot

Yes, I do realize it is spring, but this soup is wonderful! It's filling, but not so filling you feel a hibernation coming on. I usually eat this one warm with a Minute Maid Cherry Limeade---call me weird but I think it makes it feel springy--y'know? Anyhow, I made this one last night in the crockpot and the boys ate it all up.

The way I did this one when taking pictures and what not, I'll introduce the ingredients through picture format and then throw it all together. Imagine this as a picture book recipe! :D

One pound ground beef (optional)

Three medium carrots

Chopped. Varying sizes are cool too!

One cup chopped celery. I always buy celery in bulk and freeze it.

1/2 cup chopped onion (I used a sweet onion)

Herb mix! 2 tsp Basil Leaves, 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp Garlic Powder and 2 tsp Parsley flakes. Mix well.

Two cans diced tomatoes.

Brown the meat if your using meat in your soup.

Dump everything into your crock pot.

I used one bottle of water, but the point is you want enough to water to leave the stuff room to cook in, not enough for it to make really soupy.....soup.

And this is what it looks like with meat.

Crock pot low 8 hours. (We cooked ours actually on high for 4 hours---made a late dinner!)

And voila! That's it! Super yummy too! 

What are your favourite soup recipes? Let me know if you used this recipe and what you think! Enjoy!