Menu Plannin - Continued

I've had people asking to see an example of my menu list, so here it is! When I use something up, I cross it off the list. If I make something, but still have enough to last for another meal, I wont cross it off yet. That way I know I still have it available to use next time. This will happen a lot with things like apple sauce, eggs, and your fruits and veggies.

Also, I might want to choose one or two sides to go with a main dish. Sometimes I'll be lazy and not pick any at all, but it is all written down so I can see what my options are easily without having to dig through my cupboards to see what I have.

Note in the Dinner section, for a "main dish" I have listed Baked Potatoes but I've also listed Mashed Potatoes in the dinner section under "sides". I've done this because I have some instant potatoes to use up, but I don't want it for a main dish, or I just don't have enough of them to make a main dish out of. So for the night I want Mashed Potatoes, I'll make the main dish either Meat Loaf or Chicken.

Also, I only have listed four different desserts. In my family, we try to limit sweets to a minimum, especially since my husband is diabetic. So we will only have dessert once a week, sometimes not even that often. But I've listed the different options we have in the house so I can easily let Justin pick what dessert he wants the day we do have it.

Main Dish	Side(s)	Dessert
BREAKFAST
French Toast Breakfast Danish Pancakes Cold Cereal Oatmeal Toast Pop Tarts Omelets	Scrambled Eggs Sausage Bacon Bananas Apple Sauce Toast Fruit Cups
LUNCH
PB&J Sandwich Tuna Sandwich Mac & Cheese Banana Bread Bagel Pizzas Burritos Quesadillas	Raisins Cheese Sticks Salad Grapes Apple Slices Fruit Cups Carrots
DINNER
Lasagna Spaghetti & Tuna Chicken Baked Potatoes Meat Loaf Rice Casserole TV Dinners Frozen Pizza	Home-Made Rolls Crescent Rolls Salad Canned Corn Fresh Broccoli Steamed Carrots Garlic Toast Mixed Veggies Mashed Potatoes Green Beans	Mini Cakes Ice Cream Brownies Pie
SNACKS
Yogurt Apple Sauce Crackers Cheese Sticks Pepperoni Raisins Grapes Nuts Carrots Cucumbers Jerky

Also check out: Menu Planning & Planning "Alternative"

Discovering Self Reliance - Part 2: Living on Welfare

It's Tuesday again, and that means another installment in my Self Reliance series. This week, I want to talk a bit about welfare. Let me preface this topic with the fact that I am not hear to tell you not to use it nor chastise you for using it at all. I am merely going to state my side of the issue and give you some ideas and theories, you then can take it for what it is worth and please know that either way I intend no offense on either side of the issue. I understand that welfare can be and often is a very touchy and controversial subject, so I will do my very best to approach it with the utmost delicacy. That said, let's dive in, shall we?

I have heard people look down on welfare with disdain and disgust as something that should be avoided as a plague. They see welfare as the thing that will destroy this nation and as such should be completely done away with. On the other hand there are others who take total advantage of welfare programs and use them as a way to live their lifestyles they want without having to work for it. The latter group are the ones who make the prior group absolutely right! When someone takes advantage of any system, that system then becomes less useful for those that can actually benefit from it. When more people start to take advantage of that system the system that started out as a very good thing then comes in serious danger of being stopped all together.

When it comes to welfare programs; WIC, food stamps, low income housing and the list goes on and on... it is me personal belief that each and every single program was an inspired thing. Someone was inspired to start each and every welfare program because they wanted to help people. Someone saw a need and wanted to make a difference. So I think that welfare programs are a great blessing, and a wonderful tool when it is used correctly.

I truly believe that welfare programs are there to be used and that we should use them when we need them. The key word; need.
Welfare programs should be used only as a last resort. When we have exhausted all other efforts and ideas. When we cannot help ourselves and when the help of family and friends is not enough. When relying on friends and family becomes a bigger burden for our loved ones than is more burden for them than an opportunity to serve.
I also believe that welfare is a tool we have all been blessed with. a valuable tool we can use in our journey to self reliance and self sufficiency. As a tool, and not a means.

We can use welfare programs to help us become self reliant. Here is an example:
One family I know (we will avoid names for the sake of anonymity) who were living on very little each month. Even with two incomes they were barely making ends meet. They became pregnant and figured an even tighter budget to allow for them to have the baby within their means. When the baby was born, the mother had a rare case where her milk didn't contain any fat. As a result she was unable to breastfeed her newborn and the small family had to turn to using formula.
Anyone who has ever bottle fed a baby knows how much formula costs. Well, formula just wasn't an option financially, but the baby obviously had to be fed. So this small family turned to WIC to be able to feed their child.
Now, in this families situation, they easily would have qualified for food stamps as well as WIC, but they were able to still make ends meet, albeit just barely, with their meager income and WIC. They asked for just enough help to get them through. Once they no longer needed formula for the baby, they stopped using WIC and continued to be self reliant on what they had by pinching pennies where they needed to and doing the most they could while still living within their means.
In this case, WIC was a tool they used when they needed it, but it was also their goal to not need it for very long. As soon as they were able to stand on their own feet, they did!

There will always be those who go to the emergency room using medicaid to pay for their treatments while sitting in the waiting room texting on their iPhone holding their Prada bag. There will always be people who abuse the system and there will never be much we can do about that. But we can strive to be the best and most honest person we can be as an individual.
We should all strive to be self sufficient and do everything we possibly can for ourselves. But, on the other hand, we can't be the one who will look down on those that use welfare for any reason. We never know where they are coming from or what their story is, and we may never find out. Nor do we have any idea what their goals for the future are. All we can do is worry about ourselves and reach out to those who may need our help.

Discovering Self Reliance - Part 1
Discovering Self Reliance - Part 2: Living on Welfare
Discovering Self Reliance - Part 3: Realizing Your Talents
Discovering Self Reliance - Part 4: Emergencies & Really Being Ready For Them
Discovering Self Reliance - Part 5: Learning New Skills - Maintaining Your Vehicle