Frugal Friday!

In 2009, Matt and I took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class at our church.  It was a great class and completely changed the way we budgeted and looked at money.  During the 12-week class, we paid off Matt's truck and our credit card.  Since then, we have closed our credit card and haven't used one since.  We haven't even missed it!  Because of what we learned in this class, we were able to support our family of 4 on an income of $19,200 while Matt was a meter-reader, we were able to pay $5,000 that we had to bring to our home closing when we sold our house in Illinois, and we acquired no new debt during this time.  Don't get me wrong, there was A LOT of rice and bean eating and a lot of sacrifice, but we were determined to stick to the plan!   

We still have a loooooong way to go, but today I wanted to share Dave's 7 baby step approach.  Hope you find this useful!  :)  

(Taken from www.daveramsey.com)

Here's the process:

Baby Step 1

$1,000 to start an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is for those unexpected events in life that you can’t plan for: the loss of a job, an unexpected pregnancy, a faulty car transmission, and the list goes on and on. It’s not a matter of if these events will happen; it’s simply a matter of when they will happen.

Baby Step 2

Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball

List your debts, excluding the house, in order. The smallest balance should be your number one priority. Don’t worry about interest rates unless two debts have similar payoffs. If that’s the case, then list the higher interest rate debt first.

Baby Step 3

3 to 6 months of expenses in savings

Once you complete the first two baby steps, you will have built serious momentum. But don’t start throwing all your “extra” money into investments quite yet. It’s time to build your full emergency fund. 

Baby Step 4

Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement

When you reach this step, you’ll have no payments—except the house—and a fully funded emergency fund. Now it’s time to get serious about building wealth. 

Baby Step 5

College funding for children

By this point, you should have already started Baby Step 4—investing 15% of your income—before saving for college. Whether you are saving for you or your child to go to college, you need to start now. 

Baby Step 6

Pay off home early

Now it’s time to begin chunking all of your extra money toward the mortgage. You are getting closer to realizing the dream of a life with no house payments. 

Baby Step 7

Build wealth and give!

It’s time to build wealth and give like never before. Leave an inheritance for future generations, and bless others now with your excess. It's really the only way to live!

It's never that bleak!

Frugal Friday.... it's never that bleak!

41 days ago on the south-side on Indy, there was an explosion that was felt 3 miles away.  2 innocent people lost their lives, 2 houses were completely blown to pieces, and over 20 houses were beyond repair.  Today, they arrested 3 people for murder, arson, and insurance fraud.

The woman who owned the house that exploded was having severe money problems.  She left her house for a couple of days, cut a gas line, and set a microwave timer.  In her perfect world, I'm sure she thought only her house would be destroyed, she wouldn't get caught, and she would collect a lot insurance money.  But instead, she killed 2 innocent people (her neighbors house blew up as well), and many houses will have to be torn down and rebuilt.  

Your money situation may seem bleak, but remember that when you're in the situation, it's hard to see beyond it.  But when you step back, you will realize that "the waves they don't seem so high from on top of them looking down" (Casting Crowns).  I'm not trying to insensitive to people's money issues, but sometimes we just need to take a deep breath, pray, seek counsel, and make wise decisions.  

2012 New Year Resolution Update

Since it's the end of the year, I thought it was a great time to review my New Year's Resolutions for the past year.  

Here were my resolutions for 2012:

Resolution: Read the Bible in a year.

 Update: I didn't do very well with this resoltion.  I started reading on youversion and when the end of November rolled around, I was only in Acts.  So I started a Christmas devotion on youversion that I've enjoyed this month.  

Resolution: Read 24 books this year.

 Update: I have read 22 books!  You can see all the books I've read here.  I think my 2 favorites were Bloom and Angela's Ashes, but I really enjoyed every book that I read this year.

Resolution: Deposit money into the kids savings accounts monthly.

 Update: Failed this one as well, sorry kids... maybe next year.

Resolution: Give 20% to the church.

 Update: success!  This has been my favorite resolution because God has done some pretty amazing faith-things through this one.  I love how any time I fret about money, God ALWAYS provides and reminds me that it's all His anyways.  

I'm in the process of setting some goals for 2013. If you  made resolutions, how did they go?  

Frugal Friday: Homemade!

Happy Frugal Friday!

1) Homemade Laundry soap:
My friend Andrea makes some really good liquid laundry soap and we made it together one day (it made a huge 5 gallon bucket!)  I just ran out and wanted to try my hand at making some powder detergent.  I know a few people who make powder detergent from pinterest and really like it.  So I made some and really like it so far!  Here are the ingredients:  1 bar of grated fels-naptha, 2 cup of washing soda, and 2 cup of borax.  Mix together.  I use 1-2T of detergent per load.  And I have a ton of borax and washing soda left, so I will only have to buy fels-naptha the next time I make a load.

2) Homemade dishwasher soap:
Since I had all of the ingredients, I made some dishwasher soap at well.  

The ingredients for this are: 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of washing soda, and 1/2 cup of epson salt (you can substitute epson salt with pickling salt or lemishine).
Use 1 T per load

3) Homemade cream of soup mix:
I found that there are a lot recipes that I use canned "cream of soups" in.  On pinterest, there is a recipe for a dry mix "cream of something soup" recipe.  You can substitute this for any cream of soup.  I made a batch of it and have used it a lot.  I find this is much cheaper that spending $.89-$1 on each cream of soup.  And I had most of the ingredients in my pantry.  I think I only had to buy dried milk.  

Here are the ingredients:
1 cup of dried milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup bouillon any flavor (if you have cubes you have to smash them up)
4 T dried minced onions
1t dried basil
1t dried thyme (can substitute with dried parsley)
1 t pepper

I mixed it all together and put in a large mason jar in my pantry.  For the equivalent of one can of condensed cream soup, mix 1/3 cup of dry mix with 1 1/4 cup of water and cook until thick.

What do you make homemade?
Happy Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday: Pick up the phone!

Never underestimate the power of a phone call!

In September, I took Warrick to the ER because he fell from a rock climbing wall at the playground.  I got a bill shortly after for $91.  I completely forgot about this bill.  I put it in my "pay bill" file and never paid it.  Opps.  Then last week, I received a "final notice" bill in the mail.  I only got one bill so I thought it was weird that I was already getting a final notice.  Attached to the bill was a financial assistance program sheet that said if a family of 4 made under $92,000 a year that they would qualify.  I called and asked about the program, they asked me what our yearly salary was and they said it was taken care of.  It was that easy!

A few months ago we had some internet problems and had a service tech come to the house.  A few weeks later I got a bill which charged me $159 extra for a service technician charge.  They had just been out to install our internet 6 weeks prior and I had paid a $159 fee then.  There was no way I was paying it again.  Before I called AT&T I wrote down all the reasons why I thought we shouldn't have to pay the extra $159 fee for the tech the second time around.  I called AT&T and I barely got through my first reason and they said that they would take the charge off my bill.  It was that easy!

I look back and can think of all the times that I received a bill and just paid it because I thought it was easier than calling and asking a question or two.  But I've quickly learned the power of making a phone call, even if it may be awkward!

Do you have similar stories?

Frugal Friday: the well-stocked pantry

This week seemed to be the perfect storm to stock my pantry.... Matt was gone on a trip to Atlanta and our parents gave us thanksgiving leftovers.  Since Matt was gone, I didn't make "normal" dinners.  The kids and I ate  thanksgiving leftovers and cheap meals  (potatoes and veggies, spaghetti with no meat, etc.)  Since both of these things combined this week, it was a perfect week to take a little bit of money to add to the pantry.  This will save lots of money on future grocery store trips.  I went to Aldi and spent $20.07 on a lot of canned goods, then went to Kroger and spent $1.47 on 3 loaves of bread that I will freeze.

So here's what I got for $21.54

4 boxes of mac and cheese

3 boxes of chicken broth (I use this in a lot of meals and I haven't made any in a while)

3 loaves of bread

3 cans of green beans

2 cans of chicken

2 jiffy corn bread mix

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 cans of tomato sauce

2 cans of tomato soup

2 cans of mandarin oranges

1 can of chicken noodle soup

1 box of beef broth

1 can of corn

1 can of mixed veggies 

1 can of pears

1 jar of peanut butter

1 bottle of BBQ sauce

If your moon and stars don't align like they did for me this week, here are a couple other tips for stocking a pantry:

1) When you buy one canned good, buy another. You'll be amazed at how fast your pile grows if you just buy one or two extra every time!
(tip from lovely little snippets)

2) Set aside a small portion of your grocery budget for stocking up.  Even $3 to $5 per week will make a big difference.  Try to combine sale prices with coupons and if you don't find any amazing deals, just "roll" your stock-up money to the following week.
(tip from money saving mom)

What is your best tip for stocking your pantry?

Frugal Friday! Free books, DVD's, and CD's!

If you are a book-lover like me, you will appreciate this post.

I have found the best website for free books... yes, you heard me right.

www.paperbackswap.com

When you sign up, you receive 2 credits as soon as you list 10 books with the club.  You're able to request 2 FREE books from other members of the club right away.  You also receive one credit for each book you send out that is received by another member.  

There are a ton of books to choose from and there is even an area to list a book you want and they will notify you if anyone lists it.  The only cost to you is postage to mail a book.  When you receive a book, the sender pays the postage.  It's a great system!  

I listed 10 books, I would have listed more but I just sold a ton at Half Price Books over the weekend.  If you decide to join, please use my email address as your referral (berobinson6504@hotmail.com)  :)

They also have a sister website that does this with DVD's and CD's.  

I signed up with 10 books on Sunday and have 2 requested mailings, so I mailed 2 books on Tuesday.  I ordered "The Secret" by Beverly Lewis.  I have 3 other book credits, but haven't had time to find more books.  The only down-side so far is that there are soooooo many books that it's hard to choose from.

How does this apply to Christmas?  Well...
I first heard about this site from a woman on pinterest... she had pinned her blog discussing $5 gifts.  She uses cookbooks she orders from the paperback swap website and creates cute cooking baskets for gifts.  Here was the one she posted:

This is a great resource if you have little money for Christmas.  :)

Happy Frugal Friday!  

Frugal Friday!

Happy Frugal Friday!
It's time to start talking Christmas people.  Crazy, huh?  But there are only 45 days until Christmas, and I know it will be here before we know it!

Don't fret if you don't have much money for Christmas.  When I was really little, my mom was a single-mom and she was broke.  And I mean, macaroni and hot-dogs every night broke.  And I remember the only present under the Christmas tree one year was a cabbage patch doll and I loved that doll until it's hair fell out.  It's not about the amount of money you spend... it's about Christ's birth first and foremost and spending time with loved-ones.

Here are some Christmas tips to keep your family on budget (and not using plastic!)
1) Shop sales!
I have already done a little shopping.  I have been picking up things for a couple months here and there for the kids when I see big sales.  I am very happy that I have small children when it comes to Christmas.  Last year, I bought my son a couple dinosaurs from Hobby Lobby's $1 bin and he still LOVES playing with them.  I am dreading the days when my kids want an ipod or an iphone15 :)

2) Homemade gifts!
Homemade gifts can be fun and personal.  I have found some really cute homemade gifts on pinterest.  There are so many great ideas.  Here are a few:  

coffee sleeves:

 hair straightener holder:

 etched glass:

Oh, and never underestimate the power of baked goods :)

3) Research and get advice from others when it comes to Christmas budgeting!
MoneySavingMom has been blogging about "31 days to earn extra cash for Christmas."  There are some really good ideas.

What are your budgeting tips for Christmas?

Frugal Friday!

Happy Frugal Friday!  Actually, today is about generosity :)  Which is good, since it's totally hip to be generous.

When I was in high school, I learned about Operation Christmas Child, and I've done it every year since.  You don't have to have a lot of money to spend to participate and it's fun to do.

This year is the first year that I've involved Warrick and it's been really fun.  He's helped me shop for a boy his age and has loved picking items out for the box.  I think this is a great way to show children a tangible way to love and do for others.

Warrick will be dropping off his box at his preschool, but Chick-Fil-A has a drop off on November 10th and for each box you drop off you receive a coupon for a free chicken sandwich.

Happy Frugal Friday!  

Frugal Friday: Frugal Halloween

Happy Frugal Friday!  I have found many great frugal halloween ideas on pinterest that I wanted to share... ideas for costumes, decor, and kids crafts :)  Enjoy!

                                DIY halloween costumes:

frugal mantel ideas:

frugal halloween home decor:

frugal kid crafts:

And of course... some pictures of my cute kids :)

opps forgot to put on her black tights!   

spiderman pumpkin

Frankenstein pudding

Happy Frugal Friday :)

Frugal Friday

Meal planning and grocery shopping:

I've been intrigued by a blog I recently found on pinterest.  It's about a family of 4 who spends $50 on groceries each week... she does a weekly blog about meals and what she buys at the store.  You can read more here.  I thought it would be a fun frugal friday :) 

  

This week I shopped at Kroger because they were having some good deals.  Plus I love the fact that they double all coupons $.50 and below.  This week I spent $50 and got everything pictured here, which includes the $9 I spent on k-cups so I think I did pretty good.  I almost never buy pop, but I got it for $.50 with a coupon for pepsi next and figured I could bring it to House Party or if we have guests that want something other than milk, water, or lemonade.  :)  

Some highlights of my trip were:

wolf brand chili for $.20 each with doubled coupons

rotel for $.30 each with doubled coupons

bread and hoagie rolls for $.49 each 

3 packs of organic chicken for under $3 each with coupons 

2 tubes of crest toothpaste FREE with doubled coupons

12.8 oz of multigrain cheerios for $2.50  (the 9 oz box was over $3...I think I stared at the sign in confusion for 10 minutes)

Meals:

dinners:

Monday- Matt and I made cheesy chicken spaghetti for our awesome House Party :)

Tuesday- tilapia, stuffed mushrooms, and broccoli 

Wednesday- veggies and fruit (Matt was gone for a meeting so it was just me and the kids)

Thursday- turkey, cheesy potatoes, and green beans (had 2 couples over from church) 

Friday- meatball subs and leftover cheesy potatoes

Saturday- eating at church

Sunday- Mexican chicken over tortilla chips

lunches:

pb and j sandwiches

grilled cheese sandwiches 

soup

ramen noodles

leftovers

breakfasts:

eggs and toast 

cereal and fruit

Happy Frugal Friday! :)

Frugal Friday.... frugal babies :)

A while ago, there was a pregnant flash mob to the song "Baby".  I thought it was so cute!  You can check it out here.  Anytime I would hear the song "baby" I would think of this video and one day I said to Matt, "Do you know the name of the lady who sings that song?"  To which he laughed and replied "It's a 15 year old boy named Justin Bieber."  :)

Today's frugal Friday is all about babies because they can be expensive, but they don't have to be!

Here are some frugal tips to keep costs down with babies:

1) Breastfeed!!!

(sorry Matt, Covenant Eyes won't be happy with this google search) 

For me, breastfeeding was pretty brutal in the beginning.  I gave it up with Warrick when he was only 4 weeks old, but I was able to nurse Tynnley for 10 months.  If it's hard for you as well, rest assured... it gets easier each day and you will be happy that you kept it up.  (And call a lactation consultant, they can save your sanity!)  After I stopped nursing Warrick, I was in for a rude awakening financially.  He ate 2 1/2 cans of formula each week (at $22 each!)  That was $55 added to our grocery bill each week.  It is insane how much formula costs.  And if money alone doesn't do it for you, here is what webmd says about breastfeeding:  "Breast-feeding lowers your child's risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and many types of infections and allergies. Breast milk may also help protect your child from some health problems, such as eczema, obesity, asthma, and diabetes.^1, 2

Breast-feeding has benefits for you too. You may recover from pregnancy, labor, and delivery sooner if you breast-feed. You may also lower your risk for certain health problems, such as breast cancer.^1"  

2) Use cloth diapers.

I was never this adventurous, but I can only imagine how much money I would have saved!  If there is ever a baby Robinson #3, I will try my hand at it.    

3) Make your own baby food.  

I recently read a friends blog where she made a TON of baby food for only $13.23!!!  This was taken from her blog:  

I ended up with 7 full ice cube trays (one is not pictured).  Here is what I made. 

• carrots
• carrots, sweet potato and cauliflower
• mashed potato and peas
• sweet potatoes
• apples
• pears
• banana avacado (*not pictured)

Here is the cost break down of what I spent.

2.5 lbs of sweet potatoes ($2.15)
3 lbs of carrots ($.78)
1 avocado ($1.24)
2.5 lbs of apples ($2.35)
1 russet potato ($.59)
2.27 lbs of pears ($3.34)
1 head of cauliflower (2.78)
1/4 bag of frozen peas (I already had it in the freezer)
1banana (already had on hand) 
Total = $13.23

All of that made 112 cubes of food.  That's  224 ounces.  I should have enough to last through most of October.  

You can read Kelly's entire baby food making process here.  

4) Shop consignment stores or off-season sales.  I have found amazing clothes and baby needs second hand for a fraction of the cost as new and in great shape!  And my kids spit up and stained everything they owned from birth until 5 months, so why would I spend $45 on that cute Gap sweater?

Have other frugal baby suggestions?  I'd love to hear them.  

Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday: cut the cable!

When Warrick was 4 months old, I started working part-time.  I had been working full-time before then so we knew we'd have to do a lot of cut-backs to make it work.  One of the first things we did was cut the cable.  We had been spending around $60 per month with directv.

And we've never looked back... we love not having cable.  We would watch a lot more TV if we still had cable.  We spent $5 on a converter box and $60 on an antenna.  And we get about 26 channels.  There are a couple shows I enoy watching on TLC and abcfamily that I still watch, but I can watch them online for free.  We also have a netflix account that my brother got me for my birthday, thanks Ryan!!!  So we definitely aren't feeling "deprived" and we are saving $720 per year.

And... who needs cable when your kids provide you with plenty of entertainment??  :)

Happy Frugal Friday!!!

Frugal Friday!

Happy Fall!  I am loving the cool crisp weather, are you?  I like fall for many reasons, but I especially love eating soup!

Here is one of my favorite soups... it's easy and frugal.

I found this potato soup on pinterest and our family loves it.  Although, take it easy... it's not good for the waist line :)
Here are the ingredients (I stole this picture from pinterest)
frozen hashbrowns $2
onion $.78
chicken stock $2
cream of chicken (or celery) $0.59 (yay aldi!)
creme cheese $1.89
pepper

garnish if wanted:
green onions, cheese, and bacon

total: $7ish :)

This soup makes a lot.  I threw... err, lovingly placed all the ingredients (except for the creme cheese) in the crockpot before heading to church.  When I got home, I cut up the creme cheese and put it in the crockpot for 1 more hour.  We ate this soup for lunch and then the kids and I had leftovers for lunch the next 2 days.  It's sooo good.  But, don't go fat-free on the creme cheese cause it doesn't melt... sorry!  

The good news is that bathing suit season is behind us :)  So I say, enjoy!

Monday Morning Commentary

Every Monday, Holly Furtick writes a Monday Morning Commentary discussing the message at her church on Sunday.  I think it's a great idea, so I thought I'd do one every once in a while.  

This Sunday, we were in the 2nd week of our series Lost.  Matt discussed being lost in religion.  Our text came from Galatians 2:19-21 "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Matt talked about the law versus grace:

Law vs. Grace:

The law corrects behavior

Grace changes your identity

The law breeds slavery

Grace brings freedom

The law breeds self-righteousness

Grace breeds humility

Some great quotes I wrote down from Matt's sermon this week were "Don't settle for the law when you can have Jesus Christ" and "rules without relationship leads to rebellion."  

At the end, Matt had us write our names in the blank of this statement:

God loves _______ and gave himself for _______.  

Thanks babe for a great message and your sensitivity to the spirit!  

You can view more messages here on our website.  

My horrible mistake....

Have you ever made a horrible mistake... like a Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov mistake?  Well, I did yesterday.

Let me start off telling you that the 80's were good to me... I was blessed with 80's hair and I love big earrings and bright colors.  The 80's were the perfect decade for me!  But then the 80's were over... and my hair and I didn't belong anymore.

A few days ago, I found another spot on my face that needs to be removed... that makes 3 since May.  Apparently, the hats, facial sunscreen, and foundation with SPF in it weren't cutting it.  So I decided that I needed bangs to cover my scar(s) and to further protect my forehead from the dreaded sun.

Once I decide something, I want to do it immediately.  I'm not the "let's sleep on it" or "give it 24 hrs" kind of gal.  I run with an idea.  So I watched a video on bang cutting on pinterest and 2 minutes later I had bangs.

BANGS!  Not the pretty side-swiped kind of bangs that people with straight hair have, but the "opps my 3 year old sister wanted to play barber shop" kind of bangs.  Plus, going back to the earlier topic... I have curly 80's hair.

Sometimes I just get bored with my hair and want something different.  Well, this sure is different!

The moral of the story: always think before cutting, er... doing.  

Frugal Friday!

This week I have been volunteering at the Indy Kids Consignment sale.  It's been fun meeting new people in my community!  The first shift I worked, I sorted clothes and toys putting them in size and gender order.  The second shift I worked late at night after the first day of the sale to clean up and organize from the busy sale day.  I brought some clothes items to sell and earned $60... and I spent $60 at the sale.  So, I broke even!

For Tynnley, I got an umbrella stroller (I have 2 bulky strollers and was excited to get a small one for only $4!), a winter coat that had never been worn, a pair of pj's, an outfit, 2 pairs of shoes, little people nativity set, 2 sippy cups (yes, I'm that cheap), and a little people castle. 

For Warrick, I got 2 puzzles, a dinosaur that roars, monopoly jr., a spider-man foam floor puzzle, spider-man coloring book and sticker set and 2 pairs of pants.  Some of this is for now and some of this will be for Christmas.  

Here are some pictures of what I got:

If you live in Indy or are in the area, you should check it out.  The last day of the sale is Saturday (open 9a-1p) and everything will be 50% off.  

Happy Frugal Friday!!!

Read or Go To Jail?

I've always known reading was important, but not how important.  

When I was in college I took a Parenting class.  The teacher often talked about the importance of reading to your children and one day went so far to say that if you don't read to your children, they will not enjoy reading and are less likely to become a Christian because they are much less likely to read the Bible.  Geesh... no pressure, right?  I was outraged... what a horrible conclusion to jump to!   

A couple years after my parenting class, I meet a friend who sold Usborne children's books.  In her presentation she would always say that the US prison system would judge how many cells they would need based on the current 3rd grade reading level.  Crazy!!!  

I'm currently reading "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates."  by Wes Moore.  It's a great book!!  I found this quote yet again... 

"Later in life I learned that the way many governors projected the numbers of beds they'd need for prison facilities was by examining the reading scores of third graders.  Elected officials deduced that a strong percentage of kids reading below their grade level by third grade would be needing a secure place to stay when they got older."  (pg. 54)  

So I did some internet searches and found some interesting info.  

"When the State of Arizona projects how many prison beds it will need, it factors in the number of kids who read well in fourth grade (Arizona Republic (9-15-2004)).  Evidence shows that children who do not read by third grade often fail to catch up and are more likely to drop out of school, take drugs, or go to prison.  So many non-readers wind up in jail that Arizona officials have found they can use the rate of illiteracy to help calculate future prison needs."

"Low literacy is strongly related to crime.  70% of prisoners fall into the lowest two levels of reading proficiency" (National Institute for Literacy, 1998).

Like anything else, there are exceptions to every rule.  I don't think that if you weren't read to, that you are going to jail and won't be a Christian.  Give me a break.  And to quote one of my favorite book trilogies, "May the odds be ever in your favor."  :)  

I am thankful that I had a mom that read to me and I'll tell you one thing:  I'm going to read to my children until their ears fall off.  

  

Warrick reading his favorite book at 3 months :)

It's never to early or late to start reading to your kids!  

Happy Reading!  

Frugal Friday!

It's frugal Friday once again!

I killed most of my garden for lack of a green thumb, but I have successfully grown eggplants!  Apparently, they can live through anything :)

They are mini eggplants, so I had to wait until I had several.  And this week I was able to make eggplant parmigiana.  My favorite.  Since there is no meat in this, it's pretty frugal.

mini eggplants from my garden:

Here are some of them cut up.   

Oh... and I love this spaghetti measuring tool!   

Finished product: 

recipe:

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (or you can make your own)

1/2 c bread crumbs

1 c of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 large eggplant... or several small eggplants in my case

1 egg with a dash of milk

spaghetti

directions:

Mix egg and milk in bowl.  Slice eggplant, dip in egg mixture and then dip in bread crumbs.  Heat in pan with some olive oil until edges are brown.  Put eggplant in bottom of dish; top with sauce and mozzarella cheese.  

cook at 350 for 30-40 minutes.  Serve over spaghetti.