We have moved and are living in a camper this summer. Our camper has a very small kitchen with teeny tiny counters. So while I love to cook I have had to get very creative. My instant pot has become my best friend. Both because it takes the place of many different appliances in the kitchen and because it is cooler cooking with it in the kitchen.
So here are some tips on cooking in a really small kitchen.
Eliminate unnecessary items in the kitchen
Make sure everything that is in your kitchen you’ll actually use. A lot. I have packed many of the items I only use on occasion like cake decorating supplies and specialty pans. I packed most of my bigger pans and duplicates away too. I also only kept out about half of my utensils. I just have to wash dishes more. But since we don’t have a dishwasher, that way I have to keep up with it too
. Make what is in your kitchen do double duty.
As I said my Instant Pot is my best friend in the kitchen. I have made roasts in it; taco meat, custards, cakes, potatoes, eggs, breakfast casseroles, and so many more things. Just search for IP recipe of whatever you are looking for. You can find either a Youtube video or recipe for just about anything you want to make. My daughter wants to try steamed bread next week.
Keep Up with the Cleaning
Make sure you keep up with the dishes. When you only have two feet of counter space you don’t want it covered up with dirty dishes. Keep the dishes washed after every meal. I know it’s something that I should have always done but it hasn’t always been. But when there’s not a dishwasher and you have to look at them you’ll be glad for empty sinks and counters. I’m hoping this habit will carry over to our new house.
Watch How Much You Buy
The hardest thing for me cooking in a small kitchen is not actually in the kitchen. It’s in the grocery store. I have to watch how much I buy. I used to love stocking up on great bargains. But it’s not a great bargain if you have no room for it or end up throwing it out. And that’s no matter what size your kitchen is.
Simpler Cooking
While I love to cook, camper life is not always conducive to gourmet or even large recipes. I’ve learned to cook pizza on the grill. I didn’t want to turn on the oven when it’s 90 degrees. We make a lot of grilled meats for easy cooking. I make a lot of 1 pot meals either in the Instant Pot or on the stove. We try not to turn on the oven. I still want to eat healthy though so it’s not all sandwiches and s’mores. If it’s not a one-pot meal it’s usually a grilled meat and vegetable and maybe rice or potatoes for the children. I try to keep fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks.
Be Thankful for the Kitchen You Have
While I know my kitchen is temporary, I know many of you have permanent tiny kitchens. My daughter, when she moved into her apartment felt ready to cry when she saw her kitchen. It’s very small. But she is efficient and makes the most of what space she has. She even puts meals up in her freezer each month. She uses a seal a meal to make as much as possible fit in her freezer at a time. She uses her kitchen very efficiently.
So, what tips do you have for cooking in a really small kitchen?
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What I Liked About Productivity Boot Camp
Jordan had so many great tips and tricks she pulled out of her “Mary Poppin’s” bag. With high energy, I now know how she pulled them out of her bag and learned how to block schedule. She has a great preview of block scheduling on YouTube.
She takes you by the hand and helps you personalize a schedule just for you, finding the pain points you need to solve to make your day, month and year run smoothly. Jordan is funny and sensitive to many issues that all moms go through. From getting everyone out the door to getting her children fed, she has some grat mom hacks.
Why You Need Producivity Boot Camp
I have gotten more done after using Jordan Page’s Productivity Boot Camp than any other method I’ve ever heard. I’ve been using Pomdoro method and it seems like just when I’m on a roll, the timer dings. As a mom of 10, I think I’ve learned a lot about getting things done but, I now know even more. I was using some of these techniques, but this puts them all together. She walks you step by step and week by week into becoming a productivity ninja.
But Is it Worth the Money?
Yes. Definitely, yes! If you have ever felt like you’re floundering and not getting enough done. If you’ve ever felt like everyone else has it more together. And if you have dreams and goals that aren’t fulfilled and now all you can dream about is getting the laundry all done. which, btw, is never all done. Then, this is for you. Jordan states repeatedly that perfection is a myth. And while every day has not gone exactly according to plan, I have still accomplished more than usually do.
I am no longer a young mom but I do remember the struggles of not knowing what to do or if I was doing it correctly. I had only one family member close by and she had Alzheimer’s. Not much help there. And I never felt like I measured up. That all the other young moms had it more together and were doing it better. I lived by my to-do list, checking off boxes to feel that I had accomplished something that day.
Living Life in God’s Grace
I now try to live every day in grace. God has so much more grace that He gives to us. Far more than I am willing to give to myself. Sound familiar? This is what I want for you. I want you, young moms, to live in God’s grace. You are the perfect mother for your child. You are enough. Whatever self doubts you have about someone else knowing more, doing it bettter, or having it all together are all lies. Even the moms who look like they have it all together usually don’t in some areas. God gave your child the best mother for them. You.
Finding a Mentor
Titus 2: 3-5 talks about the older women teaching the younger women, but it is hard to find. When I was a young mom there were a couple of older ladies in church I would ask questions. I was a mom with many young children and no family around for help. But there were 2 older ladies in the church I felt comfortable enough to ask questions after a while. I was a little fearful because I thought my questions were stupid. I should already know the answers. Or that they would find out what a failure I was by not knowing this or that. Hint for older women; don’t appear so perfect that it’s intimidating for anyone to ask you for help.
Older Women
But older women are to teach the younger women how to love their husbands and children, model behavior and become homemakers. Things that are lacking because we are not taught. So many women and men do not know how to cook. We don’t know as many homemaking skills as our grandmothers did and are becoming lost art.
As an older woman, I want to come along side you and while I can’t hold your hand physically like I’d like to and invite you in for a cup of tea and talk. I’d like you to feel free to ask questions and give some guidance from things I have learned. Some things I’ve done right and some I’ve done wrong ndlerned from them.
Questi0ns I Get Asked Most Often
Besides the number 1 and 2 questions; Are they all yours? And do you know what causes that? are some here.
How many do you have?
I have 10 children who I went through labor with; ages 35, 33, 31, 25, 24, 22, 20, 18, 15, and 12. We have 7 daughters and 3 sons. And we had 5 daughters in a row before we had our first son. And yes, !!!! Boys are way different. So cumulatively I have over 200 years of motherhood. Because I get asked that a lot too. And yes, I’m also a grandma.
Are They All the Same?
No, in a previous post I mentioned how much knowledge I will need from raising her 6 older sisters to teach my youngest daughter. I can see similarities in some things but they are so very different. And I also see things I have taught them, that they surpass me in. And it’s great.
How Many Did You Have Home at One Time?
The most we’ve had at home at once was 8 children. We have a large gap that makes that the reason. The hardest years were when we had 5 children 6 and under and 2 teens and a tween. That was hard. But, it was still good.
How Did You Get It All Done?
I didn’t and that’s okay. I know that now. I still don’t. But it’s ok to let some things go and other things you learn to be efficient. There’s a lot of talk on batch tasking and I did that and didn’t know what it was called them. I did a lot of meal prep ahead and once a month cooking. When I sewed, I did a lot at one time and then not again for a while. There are a lot of tasks that can be done this way.
How Do You Afford It
That’s the question I get asked the most; that’s not so obvious. I have a lot of posts on saving money and will be adding more. The biggest expense for a large family and that’s where the biggest savings come too. I buy in bulk, use discount stores, batch cook, only buy on sale and a lot more I’ll be sharing.
The Last Thing You Need to Know is That I’m Committed to Helping You
I’ve been absent this year a while but am working ahead now to be a help to all of you young moms out there who want a mentor. I’ve had several trials this year, we’ve moved twice. Our children have been in 3 different schools, we cleaned out and worked on my in-laws place thinking if living there. Only to find out it wouldn’t work. One child graduated. We’ve had 3 surgeries and my last one was a doozy. I had my entire foot rebuilt. And that’s just the big stuff.
But, I want to help. There’s a young mom in our church, I’ve been so blessed to be able to help. And I’ve gotten the privilege of holding this sweet baby.
Enjoy Today
Too often, we’ve wished the days would go by and be in the next stage. It’ll be here sooner than you think. And it doesn’t slow down, it’s just different. Embrace today. Play a game, laugh at a joke, hug someone. make a memory.
Leave a comment below on questions or how I can be helping you.
Are wanting to do fun things with your family but don’t want to break your wallet doing so? If you look around in your surrounding towns I’ll bet there are many things you can find to do that are cheap or free. Here’s what we did this weekend.
Festivals
We went to the Summer-fest for our town this weekend. And although there were many things that cost money there were also many things that didn’t cost anything at all.
Local Talent
Friday night had a talent show and beauty pageant which were free.
We walked around all the booths and decided ahead of time where we would want to spend money We watched the parade although a lot of it were the tractors for the tractor race later in the day.
Eating Treats
We didn’t plan on eating meals there as it was easy to go home and eat but to just spend money on treats we didn’t usually have. And we shared. We shared an elephant ear, homemade root beer, fresh caramel popcorn they made in a huge cauldron and the best-smoked brisket I had ever tasted. But had it been farther away we would have brought our own food for part of the day.
Sit a While
Saturday night they had huge hot air baloons and a very impressive fireworks show for such a little town. We brought folding chairs, water and visited with people while waiting for the festivities to start.
Shows
Sunday the guys went to a car show and shine. They got to gaze at cars you normally only find in museums. And they got to gab with the owners.
Finding Things That are Free, Cheap and Fun
So how do you go about finding all these fun things for cheap or free? I found a book of Indiana festivals at the library. It listed every festival all year. Since details are a little sketchy and I wanted to know more I went to a website if listed. If not, I just looked it up. Many towns have a website or at least a Facebook page.
First Fridays
Instead of a festival how about first Fridays or second Saturdays? Many towns have these nights to come to their f town and highlight local businesses. Some have specials for restaurants or special themes. My favorite is Fire and Ice where they have ice sculpting and a chili contest. But beware of the really hot chili.
Parks Department
Another place to look is the town or county parks department. Usually both have something listed. Ours has outdoor movie nights, free music concerts and other family nights. There are walking trails, and in winter, sledding or tubing parks and even winter wonderland walks. One park near us just put in zip lines. There is a cost for this but I found a Groupon for it.
Groupons
Which brings up way to save money. Use Groupons. Put in the area you want and then things to do. You’ll find a huge variety of things from paint balling to plays to escape rooms to amusement parks.
What are you going to try free this week?
I hope this has helped you find things to do at a reduced price or even free. Which idea are you going to try first? Do you have any I missed to share?
I’ve gotten some great deals at our local discount stores lately. I came home with an entire cart full, underneath t with 4 cases of Zavia for only a $1 each and we still carried eggs at a dollar a flat and 50 pounds of onions. Here’s How you can get great deals discount store shopping too. too.
Different Kinds of discount Stores
I shop at several kinds of discount stores. I’ve found clothing, furniture and groceries depending on where I go. And knick knacks. Definitely, too many knick knacks.
Thrift Shops
You can shop at Goodwill or Salvation Army for clothing, dishes, artwork, bedding and so much more. Don’t forget to check out churches that have stores in your area too. Some may have limited hours but usually great deals.
Home Goods
Habitat for Humanity had Restores where they sell house furnishings and things to make your home better. I’ve had great deal on rugs there. hey regularly get hotel furnishings like headboards and nightstands. Office furnishings like desks are plentiful and even appliances. They also have boxes of flooring that are usually new. Just buy extra because when you go back it probably won’t be there.
Grocery Discount Stores
These are my favorite. Probably because I buy more groceries than furniture or clothes. You need to know normal sales prices in your area because sometimes the prices at the discount store as in your regular grocery store. But you can find tremendous deals. I just found out that our discount grocery store marks produce down on Friday afternoons. They are only open half day on Saturdays and not open again till Tuesday. So I got aparagus for $1 a case and strawberries at $1 a flat.
Tips for Shopping at Discount stores
Buy now if you want it. It’s not like department stores where they’ll get another shipment in. And it probably won’t be there when you go back.
Buy extra if its there for a project but…
Returns
Check their return policy. Some places they have a no returns, some have store credit only. You need to find out when you buy it.
Budget
Set a budget. There are some days I sdee so many great deals I would definitely go overboard on my spending. need a budget amount I can spend. Now, I also save it if I don’t find anything there for the next time.
Days and Times
Know your hours and days. Most discount stores have more limited hours than regular stores. So always check ahead.
Learn Their Sales Cycle
Learn their sales patterns. Goodwill always have half off dsys. Salvation Army has different sale days by category. So if you want a certain category go on that day. Leqrn when they mark down items, like the grocery discount above where they mark down produce on Friday. I do that in regular stores also by asking when they mark down their meats.
Make list
Make a list of what you are looking for. It’s great to browse and fihd great deals but you may end up with a lot of things you don’t need just because it was so cheap. Like I have 20 cans of coconut milk in my cupboard when they were 5 for a dollar. Then I looked up recipes. But make sure you find what’s on your list first and then add in those great buys.
Be Flexible
And although it seems to be counter to the last tip, you need to be flexible. Because you never know when you can get strawberries for $1 a flat.
Have a Space for it
It’s no good to buy all these great deals if you don’t have a place to put it. I have seen so many deals I’ve had to pass up because I just don’t have room. Even worse, I’ve had stuff spoil because I didn’t have as much freezer room as I thought. But I have bought things in mind by just giving them away. I’ve gotten things so cheap even with what we gave away what we had left was still cheap and I was able to bless others. Tuesday we got a box of 20 pounds of doughnuts for $2! I was able to give more than half away and we still have a great treat!
Pray before you go.
I pray over my list and ask God to help me use our money in the best way possible. I know I have been blessed many times because of it.
There you go. Many more ways to save money. How many of you have used discount stored? Please put which is your favorite in the comments below. Or put your greatest find there.
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