I would say that 1200 is way too low of a daily calorie intake if you want to continue to lose weight. Your body will begin to hold on to its reserves IMHO.

Our Christmas tree is the one my Grandpa sent me 24 years ago when I first moved overseas. It's only 3 feet high & is perfect for us. I use me dd's first Easter basket to hold my clothes pegs/pins for the laundry line. When we lived in Fiji I bought 3 local style baskets & those are used as Easter baskets at Easter & used for baking, etc. the rest of the year. I save the Easter grass & plastic eggs that my Mom sent me years ago from year to year as we can't buy it here. We don't go Trick-or-Treating unless we are in the States visiting my family. That has only happened once during my dc's childhood & to be honest I don't remember what they used to hold the candy. I do remember that we brought their costumes back with us & they are still in our dress-up box waiting for when we have grandkids. Ziploc bags I wash out & reuse unless they were used with meat. Foil I seldom use & a roll lasts me about 6 months. I use baking paper a lot & will reuse that until it falls apart unless it was used for meat. Paper towels are seldom used as well & a roll will normally last us 6 months. Paper plates / cups / napkins are used less than a couple times a year at most. Living for 4 years on an atoll cured me of wanting to use disposable products if I could find a reusable alternative. We do use TP, though ;)

that's why I referred to how many day's take home pay. % has too many variables for me.

1/1 --- $0 :thumbup1: 2/1 --- $60.54 groceries (my Dad paid, so does that count?)

My average weekly grocery bill is about 1.5-2 days pay. I can't give you a % as our family income isn't regular as I am a relief (substitute) teacher & dh gets odd jobs occasionally as he finishes our home renovations.

We drive that distance several times a month to get to Auckland (for business, sport, pick up/drop off someone at the airport, etc.) It is 3+ hours of windy, up & down, state highway. I'd love a passenger train from here, but they haven't existed in over 50 years.

I am an American who has lived overseas for the past 23 years. I am very proud of my heritage, but having been blessed (by choices I've made) I am able to understand where both sides of this argument are coming from. Regentrude has summed it up very well. Priorities are very different & what people perceive as normal differs based on your culture. I wouldn't necessarily say that your "birth" culture is the most influential, as I have come to feel that that everyone has a basic right to healthcare, education, etc. & that should take top priority. Our cars are over 20 years old. Our family computer is over 10 years old. We have 2 netbooks that are over 6 years old, one of which dd used while earning her degree. Ds#1 has bought himself an iPhone, iPod, & iPad since he began working. The rest of us are still in the dark ages with our non-smart phones. I'd love to up-grade our technology, but at the moment it isn't a "need", just another "want." All our dc still live here & will continue to for the next several years. We are fine with this & have encouraged it as we'd rather see our dc put what extra they have into savings, rather than rent. Ds#1 pays "board" weekly as he is on a good wage, but ds#2 & dd help out as needed. As far as what is considered a respectable job ... we have encouraged our dc to follow their passions, but be realistic about finding something that will support a family & has room for advancement. Dd went to uni & is now finishing up a cadetship. She has a $$$$$ student loan & is bringing in very little pay, but when she takes her marine exams in February she should be put on a salary of about what ds#1 is currently earning. Ds#1 isn't academic & earned his secondary school qualifications through alternative education organizations in town. But he is now half-way through his engineering apprenticeship & last year earned more than dh & I put together. When he finishes his apprenticeship the end of 2015 he'll be possibly earning $$$$$$. And ds#1 has NO student loan. Ds#2's passion is hockey. He is realistic enough to know that the chances of making a living off hockey are very slim. So his plan is to finish 1-2 more years at Boys High & get a plumbing apprenticeship locally. An apprenticeship would give him the qualifications, income, & experience to get a good paying job without requiring him to get a student loan. He also will have the time he needs to continue with his hockey dreams & work his way up to playing for the national team. University is wonderful, if you have the academic skills, need that qualification to pursue your dream, & you have the financial backing (family, loans, &/or scholarships) to go without building up debt that will cripple you for decades. Not all careers need a degree & some are better served through other routes to qualifications (apprenticeships, cadetships, military training, on-the-job training, etc.) When I was last in the States, I was visiting with some elderly neighbors. We were discussing after highschool paths for our dc. I grew up in an area where 99.9% of children went to uni directly after highschool. They told me that one of their sons had worked at McDonalds during highschool (as I did). When it came time to move away for university, he was approached by management with an job offer that would have him training to be a manager, etc. His parents reluctantly agreed. He now is in charge of McDonalds for a large region of the US. There isn't only one path to success & what is success is different for each individual. JMHO

I like this idea of prepping meat, but what amount of the oil:spice mixture would you use per pound of meat?

I'll join in. Last January doing a "no Spend" month really helped. Again we'll have no income in January as it is school holidays here & dh is still off work, so spending as little as possible is important. It won't be a "No Spend" month as dh is continuing with our renovations & my dad is here for the summer, but I do want to cut as much out of the spending I do have control of as possible & eat mainly out of our freezer & pantry. I'm aiming to finish my major declutter of our piles of S.T.U.F.F. & I find the more I declutter, the less I want to buy. As we finish each room in our renovations, I want to only put in a minimal amount of things as I can see that everyone in my family is happier with less, rather than more. I'm aiming to do the "52 Week Saving Challenge" this year to help out with our summer holidays lack of income next year. But rather than doing it in order, I'm planning on depositing the bigger amounts on weeks that I've had lots of work & depositing the lower amounts on my "no income" weeks. My goals for 2014 are: ---spend / buy little (only what is needed) ---declutter much (get rid of excess) ---save some (every bit helps)

I started today :coolgleamA: as my planner is one that starts on a Monday. I am using a grid-style planner from tinyme.com.au . I used one this year & really liked it. For 2014 I got a A5 planner for me & a A4 planner to use for my household planning (menus, bills, cleaning zones, etc.) I love planners :laugh:

I did this last January as part of my "No Spend" month & it really helped. At the moment we have my dad here for the summer, so things are a bit different, but I'd still like to try to spend little & use much of what had stockpiled in the pantry & freezer to give me room to prep for our busy term 1 that begins in February. We are also doing renovations & by the end of February my kitchen will need to be gutted to put in the new kitchen. I will be using a makeshift kitchen set up in the garage for about 6 weeks, so will need to be really organised. I am following the 5:2 diet, so some of our meals will be reflect that way of eating. I drafted out a plan for the next fortnight today. M 30 Dec --- BBQ (Steak, hotdogs, loaded baked potato fries, veggie platter & dip) T 31 Dec --- Roast Chicken dinner W 1 Jan --- Salad plates TH 2 Jan --- Stirfry or Fried Rice F 3 Jan --- Salad plates Sat 4 Jan --- Picnic (Bacon Egg Pie, Beach Slaw, Tuna Mac, Pigs-in-a-Blanket, Watermelon, Apple Cake) Sun 5 Jan --- Salad plates M 6 Jan --- Chili-con-carne, Rice, Salad T 7 Jan --- Salad plates W 8 Jan --- Beef Pot Roast dinner TH 9 Jan --- Salad plates F 10 Jan --- Teriyaki Pork balls. Rice, Stirfry veg. Sat 11 Jan --- Salad plates Sun 12 Jan --- Roast Chicken dinner *** I'll post the rest of January's menu after I finish my inventory of my freezer & pantry. Breakfasts are MYO, usually porridge, eggs, toast, or cereal. Lunches are left-overs most days. I plan to make most of our bread products again as I'm tired of throwing out moldy bread. Last January we had very little waste. My garden isn't in as good shape as last year, due to lack of attention, but I aim to spend a bit more time in it this coming week. Thanks for starting this thread.

I aim to do this starting 1st Jan. I decluttered my wardrobe a few months back & donated everything that was now too big. In hind-sight I'm glad I hadn't yet gotten rid of everything that had been too small for over a decade as I'd have had nothing to wear. :laugh: As I am now close to my goal weight, I plan to put everything that is left on my bed & choose 33 items for summer (Jan-March). I'll pack away extras that I'm not completely sure I'd not wear another season & donate things that no longer fit both me & my current lifestyle. I dream of living a more minimalistic life, but as I am currently drowning in S.T.U.F.F. I am far from achieving my dream. :glare:

When $$ is tight I dish up from the stove, dividing up what is available among those eating, based on need. (i.e. my plate has less on it than dh's, etc.) Anyone who is still hungry knows that they are welcome to make a bowl of porridge for dessert. Serving "family style" in bowls on the table definitely isn't as frugal.

I am a relief teacher (substitute teacher) at the local intermediate school. When dh was laid off over 4 years ago, I needed to do something. I applied for every job I was remotely qualified for & quite by accident ended up getting called in to teach a week at the local intermediate school. Now 3 years later I am one of the top 2 relief teachers there. I get work about 60% of the school days & it helps to pay the bills. Surprisingly I've really enjoyed getting behind the desk again, but am very happy that I HSed my own dc for a decade. I've applied for full-time jobs, but as my past experience & teacher training were overseas, I have not had any luck even getting called for an interview.

Try the 5:2 Fast diet. I've been following this way of eating since 29 April & have lost over 36 pounds. I lost 6 pounds in the first week. What surprised me most was how I didn't feel that I was on a diet & how I lost inches from my hips & waist without any exercise. I've gone from obese to healthy weight range. The Fast Diet is eating no more than 500 calories two days a week & eating "normally" (~ 2000cal) on the other five days. I actually choose to fast (your 500 cal days) on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays, so you could say I do 4:3, but as I don't count on my non-fast days this WoE seems less stressful than diets that have you cutting out food groups or eating low calories every day. And the weight has fallen off me. Google "5:2 diet" for more info. There is a 5:2 group on FB that is great support as well. JMHO

I remember the blizzard of '79. I grew up in Vermont & we got so much snow that Dad had 5 of us kids up on the roof shoveling off the 4 feet of snow so that the roof didn't cave in! The drifts were up to the level of our porch rail & that was on the second story. We would slide right off the rail on our sleds. We actually got a snow day that year. As we were one of the two school districts in the whole state that didn't have school buses, snow days were very rare. I remember only 2 snow days in all of my school years. My mother had us wear bread bags over our socks (in snow boots) or over our shoes (in rubber boots). It was just what we did. I don't save bread bags, but my dc have had no need for snowboots ever & they wear their gumboots over barefeet. Until highschool most kids here go barefoot or wear sandals to school. Thanks for the memories :laugh:

Boxing Day at the beach :coolgleamA: Carols in the park Many of the Northern Hemisphere traditions have been transplanted here, but just don't look right mid-summer. I bake tons of cookies like my Mom did, but I gave up on trying to get fudge to set years ago. It's just too hot & humid. I bake a fruitcake for dh & ds#2 bakes a pavlova for me. Some people put up lights like I see in the States, but I don't as they just don't look right without the snow & early nightfall. My dc hang their stocking on their bedroom door knob as we don't have a fireplace. Dh says he used to hang his on his bedpost. What's really different is that the end of the school year falls just before Christmas, so it's really chaos time. Most everything closes down for 2 weeks over Christmas & many people head to the beach or camping. By the time the holidays are over & everyone's back to work, there is only a couple weeks before school starts again for the new year. Summer vacation never seems like it happens.

The US gov't helps a lot to keep prices in the States low. Here we've been paying that price for over a decade. We pay about $20 weekly for milk alone, & that is the cheapest milk I can find. As dairy is one of NZ's main exports, I find it shameful that many people can't afford to give their children milk. Subsidies don't exist in most countries around the world. This is only one reason that most people pay so much more for basic needs than Americans. JMHO,

I just filled up our car & it cost $102 after discount. I'm hoping that this will last us 10 days, but most likely we'll need to fill up in a week. Prices are less than what they were mid-year. I don't bother to convert currency as I'm spending the same currency that I'm paid in. Today's fill-up is half a day's pay for me. We only live 12 km from the centre of town & drive a small car.

I, too, have had a life-long search for the perfect planner, to help me get control of my life :laugh: I thought I'd found my best fit in the BusyBodyBook planner & for 5 years I was very happy. Last year the company went out of business :crying: & my search began again. After a couple of false starts (& wasted $$) I am again very happy with my new planner (made by tinyme.com.au) I find that having a column for each family member really helps me to see when someone (usually me) is doing too much. Our family wall calendar is in columns as well & lets me see easily if dd is at sea or on shore & how her shore leave lines up with ds#2's regattas, etc. If I wanted to cut my budget I'd have to stay far away from book stores & stationary stores. Even already having my 2014 diary (planner) I still feel the pull of those fresh, crisp new diaries in all the shops :tongue_smilie:

Which do you like? Kindle Paperwhite or Kobo Aura? Both are similar price here & reading on the 'net they both seem to have similar features. I'm looking for something for reading books only, not surfing, emails, games. TIA

$8-10/person /day (depending if dd is on shore leave or at sea). This includes all $ spent for groceries, not only food. I need to get this lower, but bread & milk alone add up to over $30 a week & that's for the cheapest milk & bread. Most meals are homemade & lunches are made up of mostly left-overs. When dh is finished our building work, we plan to get a couple of sheep & a few chickens. This along with ds#2's fishing & our veggie garden should help to bring down our food bill. With dh & both boys leading very physically active lives, we can't skimp on food or eat junk. Organic isn't in the budget, but homegrown is better IMHO anyway.

does Symbaloo work on the iPad? If so, that would work best IMHO.

I'm still following the 5:2 way of eating & after 29 weeks have lost 15kgs (33 lbs). I have dropped from 168.5 lbs to 135.4 lbs. I have dropped from a tight size 14/16 in jeans to a comfortable, almost loose, size 10. I have gone from obese in the charts to just into the normal range for my bone size. I still want to lose another 10-15 lbs to be solidly in the normal range. I am still losing a pound a week on average. I have tons more energy & confidence. I have not added in any exercise outside of what I get through my normal lifestyle, but I feel much more fit just the same. Google "5:2 diet" or check out the 5:2 diet group on FB. I was surprised at how easy my weight loss has been & where I've lost inches. I have a trim waist again & my thighs & arms are much slimmer as well. If I added in regular core exercise I'm sure my body would be firmer, but at the moment my energy & focus is needed elsewhere more. Whatever you decide to do to lose the weight, look at it as a long-term change for life, not a quick fix. JMHO

When dh's neices turned 21 we would fill a small fabric bag with twenty-one $2 coins + $8 in scratchy lotto tickets.