Without beans where would Jack be? Though there are no magic beans outside of fairytales, they can seem to magically stretch your food dollars.

"Oh, beans," you may say. "They take too long to cook, and then...well...YOU know. Plus they're boring. How many times can you eat chili?"

You've had enough. You're tired of just scraping by month after month, or of carrying a balance on one or more credit cards. It's frustrating to never see the light at the end of the financial tunnel. And it's very unfortunate that when we take the plunge, leave our jobs, and decide to be at home with our children full-time, it only gets scarier. Frankly, the whole thing is exhausting.

Here are a few things to think about to prevent the fatigue and frustration that go hand in hand with looking that monthly budget in the face:

As the current growing season winds down, it's time to start planning next year's garden. Let's look through some books I recommend both for planning and daydreaming through the cold weather doldrums.

Just outside my back door is a patch filled with happy buzzing bees. When I need a little rosemary for my chicken, or thyme for my fish, or lavender for a bouquet, I just pop out the door and cut a handful. You're thinking, wow, I'd like to do that too, but I don't know anything about growing herbs.

Good news! You don't need to! Herb gardening is about the simplest form of gardening there is.

The first time I heard of planting pansy seedlings in the fall, to winter over, I thought, "Say what?! How can they possibly withstand the cold?" After all, pansies have such delicate petals. Surely the frost would do them in?

Well, yes, and no. While frost may indeed wither individual blossoms, the amazing thing about pansies is, the hardy plants keep on making buds.

Garlic is wonderful, and part of the wonderfulness is, it's pretty easy to grow. The main difference from many other crops is, this is one to plant now, in the fall, and to winter over.

Fall planted garlic builds a strong root system, and when spring rolls around and the ground warms again, it kicks into a growth spurt, well ahead of spring planted cloves. (Still, if time got away from you, or your cloves arrived late, spring planted cloves will grow. You'll get a more modest crop, but even a modest crop of garlic is something good to have.)

For any gardener who still hasn't been convinced about the need to garden organically, here are some statistics that may help change your mind. In March of 2001, the American Cancer Society published a report linking the use of the herbicide glyphosate (commonly sold as Round-up) with a 27% increased likelihood of contracting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Anything can be grown in a container; there aren't many magical secrets to it. With the proper plant, soil, location and care, you can grow anything from trees to cacti in containers.

Containered plants can seem a tiny bit fussy. Not so. They just need the proper place and attention at critical times. If container gardening is new to you, here are a few simple starting tips.