As 2008 rolls to a close, I wanted to repost an earlier article I had posted and ask you what your top 10 ways to save money in 2008 were?

10 Radical Things We Did to Save Money!

1. The house - TOO MUCH MONEY - so unfortunately, it had to go! Too much mortgage, too much utilities, too much upkeep….dare I say too much to clean? We moved into a home about the size of our current basement! Woo hoo! Can’t wait to figure out if we are saving HALF or MORE THAN HALF each month.

2. Cut out our cell phones! Switched to Trak phones - savings $200 month

3. Cut cable (this was over a decade ago)

4. Completely stopped eating out!

5. Planning meals, then simply eating what we have planned.

6. Cooking ALL hubbies meals for lunch.

7. Cooking 21 meals a week.

8. Learning to feed the family on $50 a week.

9. Rearranging insurance policies to get the best price.

10. Dave went back to doing our oil changes, tune ups, and brakes.

11. Fixing things that are broken, rather than replacing! You would be amazed at what you can at least TRY to fix.

So these are our TOP TEN THINGS TO SAVE MONEY in 2008, please post yours!

Well here is an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on DECEMBER 29, 2008

As if Things Weren’t Bad Enough,

Russian Professor Predicts End of U.S.

In Moscow, Igor Panarin’s Forecasts Are All the Rage; America ‘Disintegrates’ in 2010

This afternoon, we had a knock on the door. Out in the chilly air, were our neighbors, dropping off a belated “Welcome to the Neighborhood” dinner! In a pretty Christmas box, were a dozen muffins, all different kinds! A cranberry spice, the most yummy chocolate chip with coconut (not a choc chip muffin fan normally, but those were delicious!) and more! Dinner was roast with potatoes, carrots and onions.

What an utterly delightful gift, on a very chilly Sunday before Christmas.

We are sitting here feeling so unbelievably blessed!

What are your favorite dinners to receive? I am compiling a list of favorite meals to give people, whether it is a new mom home from the hospital, someone under the weather, or a delightful surprise like this one! What has your family enjoyed?

Well, as expected, there are new suggestions for diabetics who eat a low-glycemic diet. Turns out the emphasis on WHOLE grains is not so good, and they are finding that beans and nuts are a much better way to go.

Imagine that!

The article is found here: People with Type 2 diabetes on a high-fiber diet kept their blood sugar under better control when they ate foods like beans and nuts instead of the recommended whole-grain diet, researchers have found.

It looks like www.ThePrudentWife.com was HACKED.

Please know that the intent of ThePrudentWife.com is only to honor and glorify the Lord, sharing our families story, recipes, homekeeping tips, and more - all designed to help us moderns become the prudent wife of scripture. If you are at all like me, you have a TREMENDOUS way to go.

Any other use is the hack.

Please pray for us, and specifically for my technologically brilliant husband Dave. He has spent the last week working day and night in a server move at the hospital -and is finally home and able to relax. Instead, he is dealing with the hack, trying to figure the whole disaster out.

Please pray that what was meant for evil will turn out for good.

The irony of this whole thing, we are revamping the ENTIRE site, making it more user friendly, packing it with more information and about to launch for REAL on January 1st, 2009.

And our newsletter is growing by leaps and bounds every day - the Lord is doing amazing things.

Father by YOUR grace and mercy, I ask you to protect this site….

A woman was out Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable, and after hours of hearing both her children asking for everything they saw on those many shelves, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids. She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday season, overwhelming pressure to go to every party, every housewarming, taste all the holiday food and treats, get that
perfect gift for every single person on our shopping list, make sure we don’t forget anyone on our card list, and the pressure of making sure we respond to everyone who sent us a card.

Finally the elevator doors opened, and there was already a crowd in the elevator. She pushed her way in and dragged her two kids in with her and all the shopping bags. When the doors closed, she couldn’t take it anymore and stated, “Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be found, strung up, and shot.”

From the back, everyone heard a quiet, calm voice respond, “Don’t worry. We already crucified him.” For the rest of the trip down the elevator, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Don’t forget this year to keep the one who started this whole Christmas thing in your every thought, deed, purchase, and word. If we all did it, just think how different this whole world would be.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

This is of particular local interest! Dr. David Marden, DO is a fabulous physician who in the Tri-Cities area who just relocated his practice. Since there is nothing on the web yet, I am posting his information on my blog, so his contact information will show up SOMEWHERE! Dr. Marden specializes in bio-identical hormones for women and is a jewel!

What do you do when your 12 year old still struggles to read? You can read our story on Crosswalk. Emily and I co-wrote it, and it shares insight into the difficulty for both homeschooling parents and children, with a huge dose of encouragement to persevere. God has a time and a purpose for everything!

Wow! That is TWO articles in one year - praise the Lord!

What an utterly delightful EARLY Christmas present! Wooo hooooo! One of the articles I had the privilege of writing for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, has made it to Crosswalk.com, How to Plan Wisely for Holiday Feasts and Fun!

Wow!!!  2008 has been an incredible year for my writing!

Thank you Lord!

I found some great websites that I would love to share with our Prudent Wife readers!

Michele at Frugal Granola has some terrific recipes, and an absolutely adorable toddler! Some NT, GF recipes and a yogurt recipe to try as this family seeks to live for the Lord and simplify their lives!

A Year of Crockpotting is the tale of one woman using her crock pot every day, for a year! Wow - Steph has some great recipes listed everything from dessert, to dinner…and she is hilarious!!

How about $5 dinners?  This is a great blog with GF/CF recipes all for $5.00

Dave Ramsey’s admonition to eat Beans and Rice, Rice and Beans is in full bloom at JustBeanRecipes.com

And our website, ThePrudentWife.com has tons of recipes that will help you save time, energy and money while feeding your family the best!