Got 10 Minutes?

Don't have the time or energy to change your financial situation? Think again ... try a few of Dave Ramsey's 10-minute changes.

I'll be doing a few of these myself today.

Beans, beans ...

Dave Ramsey talks about rice and beans as a frugal staple. "Rice and beans, and beans and rice" comes up quite a bit on the message boards his followers post on and on his facebook page. After reading it enough I knew it was something I needed to add to our diet, as our grocery budget is really tight and often strained to the point of breaking, and I was out of other ideas for saving in that area.

Pinto beans cost about $1 per pound, raw, at Sam's Club or WalMart. 1 lb of raw beans is about 2 cups of beans, and will equal about 6 cups of cooked beans. 6 cups of beans for $1. 6 cups of fiber, protein, and iron for $1. And they're filling. Seriously, hard to beat and much less expensive than the same amount of poultry or meat.

Rice we can eat, except that until just a few weeks ago I was a really, really crappy rice cooker. I've improved so much just by (1) rinsing the rice a lot and (2) following better cooking directions, actually cooking the rice for a shorter time than I thought I should.

Beans were a tougher sell around here. I tried bean soups, beans in casseroles, rice and beans, beans and rice. Not much luck, and I was serving them at least once a week. Darn it.

Over the last six months or so, however, the kids have gradually accepted beans as a part of their diets and meals. I've been able to sneak black beans or pinto beans into crock pot meals or casseroles and no longer receive complaints.

One day I needed refried beans. Not having a can of them available I found a recipe and made my own. The kids LIKE them. Really LIKE them. A LOT.

I use about 1 lb. of beans and end up with 9 cups of refried beans. Very cost effective.

Vegetarian Refried Beans 
from allrecipes.com

1 lb. dry pinto beans, rinsed
2 T minced garlic, divided
1 medium tomato, diced, or 1 can diced tomato
2 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
2 T olive oil
salt to taste

Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with an inch of water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. When the beans have reached a boil remove from the stove, and drain. Return to the same pot and cover the beans with about 2" of water, and stir in 1 T garlic, the tomato, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 4 hours, until beans are very soft.

Once the beans have cooked remove some of the cooking water if there's quite a bit left, or add a little more if there isn't much left at all. Then add in the oil, salt, and remaining garlic. Mash or puree in food processor or blender. Place over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve.

* I have heard that beans are more digestible if an acid, like lemon juice, is added when the beans are first boiled.
 * I have also heard that soaking the beans overnight, rather than bringing them to the first boil, is better for digestion. When I can't soak them overnight I bring them to a boil, turn the heat off, and let them sit for a few hours before draining them.
  ("more digestible", "better for digestion" = polite way to say "less tooting")

I freeze the refried beans we can't use right away, usually 2 3-cup containers.  When storing food I use these ZipLoc containers. They're clear and easy to label on the tops with tape, and they stack very well. In the refrigerator leftovers are kept in the ZipLoc containers, always stacked on the same shelf on the same side, making it really easy for the kids and I to know what needs to be eaten first, limiting waste. In the freezer they get labeled and dated and stacked ... easy to grab what I need.

The recipe we make most often with the beans is the Southwest Roll-ups. If you follow my menu plan Mondays you've probably noticed we make this once a week or so. The kids love them, and love having extras in the freezer that they can quickly pop into the oven even more. This past Sunday night I made 30 roll-ups, using 6" tortillas, for 7 people and there wasn't a single one left after the meal. They're that good.

Do you have a family "go to" bean recipe? A frugal favorite to share? Leave a link or recipe in the comments.

Win Dave Ramsey's Class or Book!

I'm really excited about this opportunity. I love Dave Ramsey. I just do.

Head over and read this wonderful post by the Thrifty Decor Chick. At the bottom are the directions to enter to win the book or classes.

Come to think of it, Dave Ramsey is giving away some pretty incredible stuff right now too ... links are on the home page.

Good luck!

*** and don't forget to enter to win the $10 Starbucks Card here at Because I'm Frugal and the baby bib set at Because I'm Me ***

The Great Recovery

Christmas of 2007 my brother and sister in law gave us Dave Ramsey's book The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. I read it and was very excited. At that time we were significantly in debt. We didn't NEED to be so much in debt, but we liked vacations, taking the kids to their sailing regattas, eating out, shopping, etc. and all of that took a toll. At the same time we were paying on debt. And it never ended ... I'd pay on the debt, but then use a credit card to go out for dinner. Brilliant. We were stuck in a rut. That Christmas I wrote down all our debts, expenses, sources of income, etc. and came up with a plan (I wrote it on envelopes, which I still have and love to look back on). And that was pretty much the end of that. While we did pay more attention to our spending and became thriftier we never followed Dave Ramsey's, or anyone else's, plan for financial "health".

Fast forward two years. I could not make ends meet. Period. I had the same house payments, same debts save one, same expenses, same kids (actually, one more), etc. and significantly less money than had been coming into the house before. And I was beyond panicked. It was not unreasonable to think I'd lose the house (from what I hear, most women get the house in the divorce and too many can't afford to keep it) or have to declare bankruptcy.

I picked up that Dave Ramsey book. And I read it, twice, very, very carefully. I also read a Suze Orman book. I started reading personal finance blogs.  I knew I didn't want to live week to week or day to day forever and I knew that the only person who could work to fix it was me.

I got to work. I wrote an insanely tight budget. I got rid of all credit cards, keeping only my bank debit card. I came up with a plan. I very slowly built an emergency fund. I started working on paying off my debts.

At one point I wrote a letter to Suze Orman begging for help. How was I to begin paying off debt when I couldn't make it through the month? I didn't know what to do, but things sure were hopeless. I never heard back from her, but that's ok.

I was blessed with an opportunity to pay off the first debt on my list. And that's when things started to look up. Less than two years later I now owe significantly less on credit card debt than when I started. Sadly, I owe a lot of money because of something else, but I see light at the end of the tunnel (years long tunnel). I also owe for my house, and am not dealing with that right now.

This is a very slow process for me. Some folks are able to pay off their debt in no time at all once they get started and get serious. Given where I started financially I'm happy with it taking a long time. Yes, I'm antsy to be debt-free, but the reality is that that won't happen tomorrow, but that I've made real progress.

What I'm saying here is that if I can do it anyone can. And it's worth it. It stinks sometimes to not have a fancy new screened patio like I'd like or new clothes, but in time I'll be able to pay cash for that. I don't dread the bills coming in the mail (in fact, I get more coupons and free samples in the mail than bills now!). I sleep at night. I most certainly still struggle a lot, but I know that a part of that struggle is because I'm putting money to debt so that, in the long run, the kids and I will have more financial stability and less worry.

Again, and I do believe this, if I can do it most anyone can.

Recently, Dave Ramsey presented a webcast with his plan, The Great Recovery, summarized as:

The Great Recovery is a grassroots movement spread by people who are tired of looking to Washington for answers. The truth is that the government can’t fix this economy. It’ll be restored one family at a time, as each of us takes a stand to return to God and grandma's way of handling money.
 
Together, we’ll bring this country back on track—one family, one church, one community at a time.

If you have an hour, listening to the webcast is a great starting point - it's very inspirational.  If you don't have an hour, but want your financial future to look different than your current financial situation, check out his regular website or similar programs. Financial Peace University offers seminars and classes at churches for a fee (I think around $100).

I don't get anything out of trying to "sell" this to you. I just believe in it because it's working in my life, and getting this financial monkey off my back (or at least tamed) makes my life better. And I don't think Dave Ramsey is the only one out there with a good plan, but his is what got me motivated and is one I've seen work for other people.

If you're interested and you need help, questions answered, support, suggestions, whatever, I will do what I can to help. I can be e-mailed directly at becauseimme@gmail.com.