This Is How We Become Millionaires

This is how our family economy works: Chris brings home the money, I spend the money. A millionaire's wife once said "you can't become a millionaire without a good offense and a good defense." Chris plays offense: he seeks ways to acquire wealth, and I play defense, I seek ways to maintain wealth. Most people are really good at bringing in money, but few people are good at saving and maintaining their wealth. Good defense comes down to two things: vision and budgeting.

What's your vision? Do you want to pay off your school debt in 12 months? Do you want to pay off your credit card debt? Do you want to remodel the kitchen? Do want to retire with ease? Write out your goals and plan how you will meet those goals. Have a conversation like this: "We want to do A, B, and C. First, we will work towards A. We will set aside x dollars every month for the next 12 months to reach goal A. When we reach goal A, we will work towards goal B. We will set aside x dollars every month for the next 36 months to do this." Work towards only one goal at a time, otherwise you will become overwhelmed and may never reach any of your goals. If you need help getting a vision or goals, check out Dave Ramsey's website here for some help. Post these goals on your fridge, and remind yourself of them when you want to purchase something your budget can't handle.

Budgeting is the vehicle that enables you to meet your goals. Make a written budget and follow it. Here's what we do:

A Recipe for a Great Budget:

Ingredients:

1 calculator

paper and pencil (or excel spreadsheet)

two envelopes, one marked "recorded receipts" and the other marked "unrecorded receipts"

1. Make a list of all your expenses and their amounts for a month-long period. Some things, such as mortgage/rent and insurance, are the same amount every month. Other things, such as groceries or supplies or baby items, you aren't sure how much you spend on every month. For those items just write down an estimate. These are some of our categories: tithe, mortgage, cell phone, car insurance, utilities, trash, babysitting, netflix, gas, food, supplies, home improvement, baby, gift, automotive, fun, and miscellaneous.

2. Save all evidences that verify your spending. Save all your receipts, bill statements, and check duplicates. On our fridge (underneath our financial goals list) we have a magnetic clip that holds two envelopes. One envelope says "unrecorded receipts." Your receipts, bill statements, and check duplicates go in this envelope. The other envelope says "July 2011: Recorded Receipts," which I will talk about next.

3. Schedule in one hour each week to sit down and do what I call "money management." During this time, I pay any bills that need to be paid, check all bank and credit card statements online (even if your credit cards aren't being used, check them to guard against identity theft), and record our spending through the receipts we have saved. For each week, record how much you have spent in each category. After each receipts has been recorded it goes in the envelope marked "recorded receipts."

4. At the end of the month, get out your calculator and type in this equation: the amount of money that came in this month (total income) MINUS the amount you spent this month EQUALS the amount you put towards your goal! woo-hoo!

5. After each month, review your budget and your spending habits. The first three months of your budget will mostly be monitoring your spending habits. After month three, you will be able to see where you are spending too much, and where you can and should cut back. This is also the time where tell yourself, "Good job! It wasn't easy, but I'm getting closer to my goal!"

To some of you, this might sound like the most tedious and boring thing in the world. It might be. But you know what? It works! Is one hour of boring tediousness worth having greater control over my money and becoming more financially free? YES! Chris and I started following this budgeting plan in May, and started making payments towards my school loans in July. Because of this, we've been able to pay off 34% of our student debt in just two months! That success is what prompted me to write this. I finally feel we are making some major headway in being financially responsible and achieving financial freedom. One more secret about budgeting is, it's FUN! Every month, Chris and I play this game called "Stick to the Budget." Every month is a fun challenge for us to find creative ways to stretch our money further. We try to outdo each other in finding great deals, we find ways to stretch the use of something we own, we find cheap new ways to entertain ourselves and go on dates, etc.

My motivation to be a responsible money manager is much stronger now that I'm a mom. I have dreams to help pay for Ada's college, give her the wedding of her dreams, leave an inheritance, be able to retire and spend lots of time with grandkids..... but most of all, I need to teach my kids how to be good money managers as well. Chris and I can only instill in our kids the importance of good offense and good defense if we teach and lead by example.

Recycling Adventures

One more thing I love about Marshalltown, Iowa is there is a recycling ordinance. When I lived in Ames, there was no recycling plant or ordinance, and it was extremely inconvenient if someone wanted to recycle. Having this ordinance makes it convenient to recycle, because I just set my recyclables outside with the trash and someone picks it up and takes care of it (for a reasonable price). Now I love to recycle!

I know I should use my reusable grocery bags more, but I usually realize I forgot them in the closet halfway to the store. Going grocery shopping once or twice a week, we use a lot of grocery bags. I don't mind saving them, but where do you neatly hide grocery sacks??

In an empty kleenex box! Empty kleenex boxes work great for storing those plastic bags. You would be surprised how many you can cram into the box! I will also use these bags as trash can liners for our small bathroom trashcan. I will hide some of these sacks in the bottom of those trashcans so there is always a handy bag available to replace when the trash goes out.

Moms, I've also been saving the sacks newspapers come in during rainy days, bread bags, and the small sacks you put your produce in at the supermarket. I always keep a few in the diaper bag because they are great for throwing a stinky diaper in if you don't have a trashcan nearby or you are at a guest's home. They would be great doo-doo bags for dog owners too!

I've discovered old yogurt containers (which can't be recycled like other plastics) make great baby food bowls, too. The AE brand is best because they come with lids. I only had 4 purchased baby bowls to begin with, but now that Ada's eating more, I usually use 2 bowls per meal. Nail polish remover will take off the ink on the yogurt cup so that it doesn't get confused with your other yogurts and you have a space to label if you want.

Lastly, Ada has her first teeth! Congratulations Ada!

The Most Helpful Baby Book

This is the most helpful baby book I have found. It's called "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. The book cover says it all, "Super Baby Food: Absolutely everything you should know about feeding your baby and toddler, from starting solid foods to age three. Includes more than 300 quick, easy, delicious and nutritious recipes and thousands of money-saving and time-saving child care and kitchen tips. Highly recommended by new moms and dads!"

Like the author, my philosophy on the care and feeding of my baby is to do what's natural, healthy, and affordable, (consequently, natural and healthy means of caring for your baby are usually the cheapest). When I started feeding Ada solid foods, I had no clue what to do (and I ended up making some big mistakes)! I got different advice from different people, but I really needed a handy reference that would say "do this, not this, and this is how you do it." That's what Ruth Yaron does in this book. She covers things from what to feed your baby and how, how to make your own baby products, recipes, crash course in nutrition, arts and crafts, homemade non-poisonous cleaning products, food preparation and storage, detailed information on nearly every fruit and vegetable, I could go on and on. The author gives very practical advice and speaks from her own experiences from raising twins.

I keep this book next to my cookbooks in the kitchen and refer to it probably three times a week. If you are a new mom, a mom with children under 5, or are pregnant, I strongly recommend buying this book. If you are a friend of someone who is pregnant, this would make a wonderful baby shower gift. I would even buy it even if you don't have kids, or aren't planning on having kids for a while, because it is full of helpful homemaking and problem solving tips. I bought mine off of Amazon for $2.00! You can't beat that!

this is good pizza...WOW

This is how dinner went last night:

Chris: "This is good pizza.....WOW"

Me: "I think I have my next blog post"

Homemade pizza tastes great, is cheap, and easier that you think to make! It is also very filling, makes for great leftovers, and is healthier than any pizza you could buy. In the cold months you can bake it in the oven, and during the warm months you can GRILL it! If we could, I would grill our pizza every time, it truly makes a perfect pizza.

Let's start with the sauce, here's an easy recipe:

In a sauce pan, add 1T olive oil and 5 cloves of garlic. Over medium heat, cook the garlic until tender. Then add 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes, and 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes. Add whatever seasonings you want, until you get the taste you want. We usually add crushed red pepper flakes, some Cavendar's Greek seasoning, some fresh or dried basil and oregano (or an Italian blend of dried herbs), and sugar. Simmer on low heat, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Use whatever you need for your pizza, then freeze the leftover sauce in ice cube trays. Once frozen, pop the pizza sauce cubes out and store in a freezer safe bag. When it's time to make a pizza, take out 6-8 cubes and microwave them until they melt.

While the sauce is simmering, get out your breadmachine for the Very Best Pizza Dough. If you don't own a bread machine, you can use this recipe still, but will need to mix, knead, and let rise (for an hour) yourself.

The Very Best Pizza Dough:

1c water, more or less

2 1/2c whole wheat flour

1c bread flour

1T sugar OR 3T honey

1t salt

3T olive oil

1 3/4t yeast

If you aren't going to grill it (you'll be missing out), then roll out the dough, bake it in the oven for about 5-8 minutes before putting toppings on. I usually bake my pizza at 375 or 400.

To grill, you need this pan. If you or your honey likes to grill, I HIGHLY recommend investing in this pan. This pan is perfect for grilling stir fry, fish, and pizza. However, my husband grills everything in this pan because it keeps the grill clean. When you're done, throw it in the dishwasher. We bought ours at a Cook's Emporium (Ames, Iowa), and it has a removable handle. Just make sure you spray it with oil before you use it.

After you roll out the dough, place it in the pan. Then, get your man and say, "Come on baby light my fire...."

You gotta love a man who knows how to grill! Chris loves to grill, and one of the great things about Summertime is that he gets to grill a LOT, which means I spend less time cooking (though I do love cooking) and more time relaxing. Also, grilling gets us both involved in the meal preparation and we have a lot of fun doing it! Anyways, when the grill is hot and ready, start to cook the dough without any toppings. At this point, you just want to be cooking the bottom of it.

Remove the dough from the grill when the bottom is brown and crispy on the bottom like this. Then bring it inside, and you need to flip it so the uncooked side now faces the bottom. Press the dough so that it forms the pan.

Spread your homemade sauce and add your toppings. I think adding the cheese last, while the meats and veggies are buried beneath, and then sprinkling fresh or dried herbs such as basil or oregano on top of the cheese makes it taste better.

After you put the toppings on, return the pizza to the grill. Grill until the cheese is gooey-melty, and the bottom is crispy again. This picture really doesn't do it justice, but what you get is probably the most fantastic pizza you'll ever have.

So, what kind of difference does grilling do to the pizza? The crust is crispy on the outside, but chewy on the inside. When cooked in an oven, the crust is more bread-like, without any dual texture. Also, the cheese is more gooey-melty than it would be if it were cooked in an oven. I think the cheese tastes more dried out when cooked in an oven. Lastly, you get a hint of charcoal and smoke flavor, which an oven can never do for you. Enjoy!

Five Ways We've Learned to Save

With a single income, a mortgage, a baby, and student loans to pay off, Chris and I are constantly looking for new ways to save money. Here are five habits we've picked up the last year or so that have saved us a lot of money.

1. Get a library card. We've discovered that reading is a form of fun and relaxing entertainment for us. Why buy books, dvds, and magazines when you can have total access to them for FREE??? Many libraries now have Inter-Library Loan (ILL), which means if your library doesn't have a book (or dvd or cd) you're looking for, your library can borrow the book from another library and lend it to you. In college I got most of my textbooks from the library (and using ILL) and saved thousands of dollars.

2. Ditch cable TV. I know this might be hard to believe, but I guarantee you that if you never watch Jersey Shore ever again, you will have a more fulfilling life. I’m serious! The basic channels are all free. Try watching only the free channels for one month. Either you will find new favorite shows, or you won’t like any and will give up TV completely and find yourself doing things you actually love more than TV. The other way to go is Netflix. Chris and I don’t have any TV reception at our house, so we bought Netflix ($7.99 per month) to have access to tons of movies and tv shows commercial free.

3. Get to know the people who can give you discounts. The right contacts can save you a lot of money. For example, when we bought our washer and dryer from Lowe's a year ago, we got them for 70% off. They were on clearance (because the washer was blue and the dryer had a dent), and because Chris had favor with the department manager, he gave us an additional discount. At Hyvee, the best person to get to know is one of the leaders in the liquor department. The last few months Chris and I have been buying beer for half of the price because the department manager will show us where the crazy discount deals are that weren't advertised. Department managers in retail stores are the best people to get to know because they know their department well enough to know where the best deals are, and they may have more authority to add extra discounts. When I say "get to know them," I mean be friendly, nice, courteous, and genuinely acknowledge them. Chris and I have both worked in retail and it made our day when customers would just ask, "How are you today?" or have a conversation. Those are the customers that we didn't mind going the extra mile for and loved to help.

4. Ask for help from your friends. If we depend on our friends more, we could save more money. It's hard asking for help, not because my friends aren't willing to help, but sometimes it's hard to admit I need help! Real friends are willing to help you out for FREE. Don't pay for babysitting, ask you friends if you could watch their kids one night and another night they could watch your kids. Ask your handy friends for help fixing the toilet or remodeling the kitchen. Find out what your friends are good at, and let them use their strengths to help you. Additionally, offer your help to your friends for FREE. Imagine, if a whole neighborhood was friends with each other, every household would not own a lawnmower. There would probably be only 3 lawnmowers for the whole street to use when needed. We didn't own a sod-buster or a rototiller in order to get our garden started this year. When we saw our neighbors using a rototiller and sod buster, we asked if we could pay them to use it. Our neighbors didn't want our money, instead, they came over to our yard and sod-busted and rototilled a garden plot for us!

This is my friend Satomi and her daughter Airi (11 months). We frequently will babysit each other's babies for free so we can have date nights, run errands, or get some time alone. Ada and Airi love the time to play with each other too!

5. Tithing. How does giving your money back to God save you money? I don't understand how it works, but it does. One of those miracles. Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the window of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need." Chris and I have experienced this firsthand, that when we give 10% of our income back to the LORD, He blesses us even more financially.

Potty Mouth

Disposable diapers are pretty amazing. They've really made the butt-wiping experience easier on today's moms. We're so fortunate to live in the times that we do, that there are so many products available that make taking care of babies easier and more convenient.

Based on my personal values system, I can't justify myself purchasing a product that is used for only 2 to 3 hours, pooped in, then thrown away. For you, maybe convenience trumps affordability, and that's okay. Chris and I have decided to use cloth diapers on our kids. Originally, we committed (and it really is a commitment) to cloth to save money. Or rather, to have more money to pay off loans, go on dates, kitchen remodels, etc. After using them for the last 6 months, I am can honestly say that I prefer cloth diapers over disposables for reasons other than money. Here's a few:

--With cloth diapers, poop goes in the toilet and is flushed away, where it belongs, and you never see it or smell it again. With disposable diapers, poop (probably multiple poops) sits in the trash inside your clean house all day long. That's too weird for me.

--Less diaper rashes. When we go out of town for the weekend or on vacation, Ada uses disposable diapers. Towards the end of the trip, it is guaranteed that Ada will get a bad diaper rash. When at home and using cloth diapers regularly, Ada rarely gets a diaper rash. I haven't confirmed this with other moms, but for us consistent disposable diaper usage means diaper rashes.

--What would you prefer to wear? Soft cotton that smells like fresh laundry, perhaps still warm from the dryer, or crinkly papery-plastic? I take great pleasure in knowing Ada's precious tush is wrapped in soft cotton.

--It's earth friendly. Let's be good stewards of the world God created for us; this is a way to do that.

This post isn't about converting you to cloth diapers, you should make the decision that works best for your family. If you are on the fence about it, considering it, or maybe fearful of it, I want you to know that cloth diapering is easier than you'd think. If we can do it, so can you! Here's how I do it:

1 cloth diaper (Gerber Prefolded Birdseye. $10.98 for 12 pack at Walmart or Target. I have 36 total), 2 pins (could only find at Babies R Us, $1.99 for 6), 1 diaper cover (Gerber, about $5 for 3, could only find at Babies R Us).

Put the diaper on your super cute baby. You're probably thinking, those pins look sharp and dangerous! They are. So be careful. I've only poked myself 4 times, and Ada once. Don't cloth diapers look so cute?? They remind me of cupid.

If the diaper is poopy I spray the poop off with this high-pressure squirt bottle (Walmart $3) into the toilet. Some poopy diapers get rinsed by hand in the toilet. Pee-pee diapers don't need any rinsing. Then I put the used diaper in the diaper bucket. It's a Kingsford Kaddy for storing charcoal (Hyvee, $10-$14). I love it because it can hold up to 30 used diapers, has a handy easy flip lid, and is air tight (no stinkies!).

If it is a pee-pee diaper, then I rinse out the cover with warm water and hang it to dry. Yep, that's a hanger with 4 wooden clothespins. They dry faster if I hang it outside. If the cover has any poo on it then it gets rinsed and thrown in the diaper bucket.

This is what makes cloth diapering so easy. Once a week I plug my nose, hold my breath, and open up the diaper bucket and throw the used diapers into the washer. I wash with Dreft baby detergent and bleach, and do an extra rinse and spin. My high-efficiency washing machine (Frigidaire Affinity, bought on clearance at Lowe's) has a 2 hour sanitary cycle which gets my diapers very clean. In fact, none of Ada's diapers have stains. NONE! When I take them out of the dryer you would think they were brand spanking new.

All in all, remember that poopies, sharts, and pee-pee will always be messy. Caring for a baby is a dirty job. Regardless of what kind of diaper you use, you will get poop on your hands, clothes, and maybe the carpet, you will have diaper explosions that forever stain those brand new onesies, the smell will make you gag at times, and you will get grossed out. But you will live. And you will focus on how much fun you're having snuggling with your baby, hearing her giggle, and getting lost in her eyes and smile. And you will remember that all the hard work is worth it, and doesn't seem that hard when you are in love.

Mothers and the Voice of God

Ada is six and a half months now, and time and again I find myself reflecting back on my pregnancy. It was a special time only she and I got to share. She will never remember it, but I will never forget it. One moment I will always treasure was the first time I met her. I'm not talking about the day she was born, or the day I saw her and heard her heartbeat via ultrasound, though those days were extremely amazing, too. I will always treasure the day when God told me what makes Ada, "Ada."

Every person God created uniquely, and every baby is born with a destiny and a purpose. When I discovered I was pregnant, I began a study on the mothers in the Bible. I found a very interesting pattern. There is a special grace on mothers to hear God's words for her children. With almost every mother, God spoke to them and gave them revelation about their child. Also, this most often happened when they were pregnant or about to conceive. Take the story of Rebekah in Genesis 25:22-24 "The children struggled together within her [Rebekah], and she said, 'If it is thus, why is this happening to me?' So she went to inquire of the LORD. And the LORD said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.' When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb."

God is still the same He is today that he was thousands of years ago, so if I inquire of Him about my child He will speak to me too.When I was about five months pregnant, I asked God who my baby girl was. This is from my journal entry on July 26, 2010:

Papa, life-creator, you see and know my child. You have her days in your book. Can you tell me about her?

"She's beautiful. She looks like her mom. She will learn to smile early, from you. She is blessed. Happy. Happy to be who she is and where she is."

I had so much joy to hear those words from the One who was weaving her together. I have even more joy now to see those words fulfilled in her. We chose her name based on who she is; Ada means "happy." When people meet her they inevitably say one of two things (or both) "Look at those blue eyes!" and "She is such a happy baby!" She is beautiful, and my relatives have said she is a clone of me. The first time I saw her smile was when she was one day old. About 95 percent of the time she is happy and content, no matter what she is doing or where she is. Anyone that spends some time with her will always comment how amazed they are at her content and happy nature. And those days, the other 5 percent of those times, when she is fussing because she's tired or teething, I remember that God's word never changes. I have also witnessed how her joy has uplifted those with broken and discouraged hearts.

Why does God do this? Simply stated, because He is good and He loves you. Other reasons include He wants you to see your child as He sees her, even if there are times that her life doesn't reflect the words God gave you. He knows how excited you are to meet your child. He wants to give you encouragement and hope. It can lead you to what name you should give your child. He wants to remind you that He cares deeply and knows your baby intimately. He wants to turn you into her biggest prayer warrior.

So mamas everywhere, know that God wants to share with you His secrets of your child. Know that you are in a prime place to receive revelation from God that will change how you see your child and how you encourage them to be all that God has for them. He is just waiting, all you have to do is ask.

One Jar, Ten Delicious Dishes

What are the essential pantry items? What makes a well stocked pantry? I'd like to think that the ideal well-stocked pantry should contain items that allow me the options to several dishes with the click of a can opener. For example, a can of crushed tomatoes. From this can you have the option to make an array of soups and sauces. I am all about freedom and options, so my ideal pantry has items that can be used for a wide variety of meals.

I have discovered the next essential staple pantry item. After experiencing its flavor and the multiple ways it can be used, I am ALWAYS going to keep this item in my pantry. What is it? A jar of marinated, roasted red peppers.

Red pepper is one of my favorite ingredients. It has a flavor all of its own. Its not spicy-hot like its other pepper cousins, but has a subtle sweet with a little spicy warm flavor. Also, its found in almost every ethnic food, kind of like garlic. Also, not many people have heard of or tasted marinated roasted red peppers. When added to a dish, it makes a statement. It's a new flavor, that is very pleasing to almost every mouth, that is also a surprise. People will taste it and say, "Wow, what is this taste??"

So marinated roasted red peppers......they are the flavor of red peppers, but the roasting takes the bitterness out of them and makes them more mellow and sweet, that are marinated in a garlicky, olive oil, and herbs marinade. YUM! I bought my jar at Aldi's and was very impressed. I'm sure they are probably cheapest there. If you are expecting a harvest of red peppers from your garden this year, and know how to can, then here is a site that with a recipe for making your own homemade jar. http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/marinated_roasted_red_bell_peppers/

So here you are, TEN uses for this wonderful product. Enjoy! (MRRP=marinated roasted red peppers)

1. salad topping

2. appetizer: black beans, avocado, cilantro, lime, and MRRP

3. wrap: tortilla, grilled chicken breast, avocado, sour cream, black beans, cheese, MRRP

4. grilled cheese: mozzarella, fresh basil, tomato, and MRRP

5. top onto a nice juicy steak

6. pizza topping, especially a vegetarian pizza or a white sauce pizza

7. any pasta dish....be it with a red sauce, white cream sauce, wine sauce, or a pasta salad

8. omelets

9. baked potato topping, or twice baked potato topping

10. any cold cut sandwich

Here's what they look like out of the jar:

The Best $10 You'll Ever Spend

It starts out as a Christmas gift or a wedding gift, its owner is thrilled at the possibilities this appliance holds. She lugs this 15 pounder home, she may set it out on the counter, but inevitably she will tuck it into the cupboard where the Kitchen Aid mixer, blender, and crockpot are. She uses it once, maybe twice, and thinks, "that's neat." Eventually its owner forgets about it, and it collects crumbs and dust, as it sits neglected in the cupboard. Years, perhaps months later, the owner brings home a quesadilla maker, and decides the 15 pounder is taking up too much space and belongs at the garage sale.

Brand new this thing is sold for $50 to $60. The owner sells it for $10 (or better offer!). I spot this humble, deserted treasure, and excitedly take it off the owner's hands. I return home and begin to crank out homemade cinnamon rolls, warm buttery dinner rolls, the best pizza dough, the perfect buns for any sandwich, and, of course, hot-fresh bread, with chewy crust outside, and soft on the inside. My guests praise me, saying "where did you get these, they're delicious!!!" And I say, "they're homemade." Then my guests are humbled and amazed at all the hard work, my slaving away in the kitchen, and my talent for making something so heavenly................when the truth is, it only took me a total of 6 to 10 minutes, thanks to my bulky treasure I found at the garage sale. The treasure? A bread machine.

Bread machines everyday are being thrown out at garage sales and Goodwills everywhere, their owners never accessing their true potential. You would be the perfect new owner of a bread machine if you...

-like bread, or dough creations

-like knowing exactly what is in your bread (or dough), and using natural ingredients

-feel like you never have enough time

-don't like cleaning (I rinse out the bread machine pan with water maybe once a month. After each use I just brush out the crumbs.)

-love all the reward without the effort

So here's how a bread machine works. Step 1: put the ingredients into the bread machine. Step 2: select what you want the bread machine to make. Step 3: push start. Move on with whatever you were doing in your life. And in an hour and a half you have dough for pizza, buns, rolls, etc. Or, 3 hours later you have piping hot fresh bread.

Never pay more than $10 for a bread machine, if you do some bargain hunting at garage sales this summer you are bound to find one. Here's my trusty bread machine which I bought for $8 at a garage sale 2 years ago. Below the pic you can find a great recipe we use for homemade pizza dough.

The Very Best Pizza Dough:

1c water, more or less

2 1/2c whole wheat flour

1c bread flour

1T sugar OR 3T honey

1t salt

3T olive oil

1 3/4t yeast

TIP: After you roll out the dough, bake it in the oven for about 5-8 minutes before putting toppings on. I usually bake my pizza at 375 or 400.