Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Because What is More Fun Than Something Free?

Times up! Comments have been disabled! Winner will be announced soon!

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This just looks like too much fun! So I'm joining in!

This giveaway is going to be for...

A $25 Barnes & Noble GiftCard!


To enter, just leave a comment! Comments close at noon on Saturday, February 2. (ETA-Eastern Standard Time)

Winner will be chosen by a random number pick by one of my daughters on Saturday afternoon. Winner will be notified by Saturday evening. Please don't forget to leave a link to your blog or an email address so I can notify you (and don't forget to check your spam folders)! Winner has 3 days to respond to winning notice or item will go to another commenter.

Open to residents of the US only.

Come on...you know you want to enter!

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Monday, January 28, 2008

Menu-Plan-Monday (With Costs!)




Good grief, last week was hectic. And fun. We had company in from out of town and other people added to the mix over for dinner for 3 days in a row. It was almost like cooking Thanksgiving meals every day. And the food! Tons of food. Tons and tons. Too much waste. And heavy food.

We've got to start eating a little lighter.

What I'm working with:
Huge bags of great organic root vegetables. Plus, I hope to clean out the freezer a little this week and use up some things.

On to the menu. Prices are rounded to the nearest 25¢. The total price of food is counted on the day that it is cooked. Leftovers are counted as $0. On any day that no vegetable is mentioned there is a raw vegetable platter served and $2 is added to the menu cost for that day for the cost of the vegetables with dressing. There are always homemade rolls. They cost me less than 35¢ to make and last for several days.

Monday - Bean burritos (from leftover frozen beans and ham) with fixins. Raw vegetable platter. $3.75

Tuesday - Alanna's Mexican Rice Bake with a huge salad. Homemade whole wheat bread. $11.00

Wednesday - Dinner at Church. It's Italian night. I'll bring lasagna and rolls. $10.25

Thursday - Leftover Mexican Rice Bake. Raw vegetable platter. $2

Friday - Crockpot heavy seasoned chicken breasts shredded on a salad. $11.00

Total for the work week - $38.00

For more menu inspiration, head over to Laura's Blog!

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Menu Plan Monday (with costs!)



We've got company in town so the cost of food will be a bit higher this week. Both because we're feeding more people and because I probably won't serve leftovers to company. Since the company is coming in on Sunday, I'm typing this up on Saturday, and will include an extra day in my calculations this week.

What I'm working with:

A plethora of food.

On to the menu. Prices are rounded to the nearest 25¢. The total price of food is counted on the day that it is cooked. Leftovers are counted as $0. On any day that no vegetable is mentioned there is a raw vegetable platter served and $2 is added to the menu cost for that day for the cost of the vegetables with dressing. There are always homemade rolls. They cost me less than 35¢ to make and last for several days.

Sunday - Meatloaf, The Pioneer Woman's Mashed Potatoes, Slaw (which I must post the recipe for soon), and something green (broccoli, spinach?), with Rolls. We'll also have dessert. I'm hoping I can find some ripe bananas and make a fabulous banana pudding, and there will be a fruit cakey decadent thing called Orange Slice Cake. $42.00 (I counted for the whole cake here which is pretty expensive to make.)

Monday - Crockpot roast and carrots, Kasha Varnishka, Sweet Potato Casserole, my new homemade whole wheat bread (that I still haven't posted the recipe). For dessert we'll have Rugelach, and homemade warm chocolate chip cookies (with vanilla ice cream). $33.00

Tuesday - Lasagna with homemade garlic cheese biscuits. Dessert will be Brownies with vanilla ice cream. $29.00

Wednesday - Church dinner. I'll bring dessert. $3

Thursday - Leftover smorgasbord $0

Friday - Leftover smorgasbord $0

Total for the week - $107.00

Be sure to check out Laura's Blog for more menu ideas!

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Friday, January 18, 2008

Frugal Friday Levels



Very few of us online are forced to the edge of true poverty (I believe this because if you have a computer and online service, you're probably not one of the poorest in our country). For the rest of us who are blessed, we all have to find our comfort "level" with frugality.

I remember reading something from Amy Dacyczyn years ago about the different "levels" of frugality.

Take coffee for example.

You may spend $6 + tip on a "coffee" at Star*bucks. Let's call that the "high level".

The next level down may be a large coffee at drive thru for $2.

Next would be 35¢ for cup of organic, strong brew at home.

The generic at home coffee may cost half of that.

And I've heard of people who use the grounds one day and then the next day add half as much to the pot along with the old grounds to make a fresh pot. Reducing the cost even more.

And tap water (instead of coffee) is practically free.

So what is frugal to one person, may seem an extravagance to another. It all depends on priorities. Mindset.

What may work well for me may not work at all for you. And vice versa.

And I find that comfort for me is not always static.

I've started to think of many different areas of frugality in that manner. Dinner could be a $150 affair. Or a 25¢ box of mac-n-cheese. My priorities at this time dictate that it be a bit more than the boxed mac-n-cheese. But no where *near* the $150 steak dinner at a nice restaurant. And I drink water for at least 90% of my liquid daily, but I'll have my 35¢ cup of coffee each morning, thank you very much. These are where I'm comfortable.

We all have to find our "level". And that's one of the reasons that I love the tips that are found each week on Crystal's Blog!

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

Snow in TN

I was getting my shower this morning because Julia had co-op and I called down for my husband to ask him a question after hearing his voice when I thought he had left for work. Julia said that he was busy and would be up in a few minutes.

Several minutes later he came up and told me that Jillian was outside working herself silly trying to make a snowman, while wistfully watching the father/daughter team next door making one.

So what could he do?



I married well.
:)

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Updates

I carved out a few minutes today to update my "Blogs I Enjoy" sidebar. I've deleted a very few and added several. I don't think anyone that I deleted reads here, but if you do I hope you're not offended. It's nothing more than a time issue and I'll still be checking in from time to time.

I also added a "Links" listing. Some pretty cool stuff there, so check it out if you're so inclined.

ETA - Much more to update in the sidebar when time permits!

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Monday, January 14, 2008

Menu Plan Monday (With Costs!)



Finally!

I've really missed having my meals all planned out. Over the Holiday's it was all but impossible to do as we snacked or cooked for this or that event. And while I love the Holidays, I'm really glad to be back on a better eating schedule. We all agree that we're tired of the rich foods. And are ready for more healthful meals.

And on that note, I have a confession. My husband will hardly eat my rolls. He likes the taste of them, but not the all white flour/no nutrition aspect. So I've been fiddling around trying to find a good whole wheat recipe that everyone would like. And I've found one! I've not calculated the cost yet, but it's certainly not as cheap as my rolls. But there is the health factor to consider and the family does love it. I will still make the rolls, but will cut it down to once a week or so. I hope to have the new bread recipe up soon with pictures!

What I'm working with this week:

Alanna's Mexican Rice Bake has become a staple in our home. I made a huge pan of that yesterday and have some leftovers. We have some root vegetables. And a HUGE pile of bananas that I got for next to nothing at the store yesterday because they were ready to be eaten.

On to the menu. Prices are rounded to the nearest 25¢. The total price of food is counted on the day that it is cooked. Leftovers are counted as $0. On any day that no vegetable is mentioned there is a raw vegetable platter served and $2 is added to the menu cost for that day for the cost of the vegetables with dressing. There are always homemade rolls. They cost me less than 35¢ to make and last for several days.

Monday - Alanna's Mexican Rice Bake leftovers with a huge salad. $4.50

Tuesday - Crockpot roast and carrots with oven fries. $11.00

Wednesday - Dinner at church. I'll bring something sweet. $3.25

Thursday - Leftover crockpot roast shredded burritos and fixins. $2.50

Friday - Sandwich night. Maybe some soup if I'm feeling adventurous. $6.50

Total for the work week : $27.75

For more menu inspiration, head over to Laura's Blog!

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Sunday, January 13, 2008

Bullet Post

Because I'll never catch up otherwise.


  • Christmas was busy.

Things were not spread out nearly enough this year. Everyone wants "last minute" time. It makes for a really stressful time with no time in between events to decompress. Or prepare for the next event. We had 4 big parties (the first we threw here), and 1 smaller overnight teenage thing in the five days leading up to Christmas. Just the shopping and cooking for these was enough to fill every day. There were good reasons for each of these things to happen when they did this year, and I'm assuming it's a fluke and will not happen again like this next year. Or the year after. Or the year after. Because if it does, we'll have to graciously bow out of most of them.

  • New Years was quiet.

Exactly the way we like it. We had pigs in a blanket and chicken fingers, sparkling grape juice and The Pioneer Woman's Apple Pie (with storebought crust). Yes, I've been keeping a cooking secret from all of you. Not intentionally. Just because I've not really posted since I found her site. But since I have I've made her mashed potatoes, bread pudding (without the whisky), and her apple pie. To say that we have not been disappointed would be accurate. And an understatement.

  • Somewhere before Christmas my husband and I celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary.

How did that happen? We can't possibly have been married that long. Even though our oldest is almost 21. He's still my teenage crush. And one that I've been through a lifetime of experiences with. We have been through so much and even in the hard, hard times I would rather be with him going through it that with anyone else, doing anything else in the world. He is my family.

  • On January 6 I turned 42 years old.

My birthday has become a time of reflection for me. It's my own personal "New Year" celebration. I think about the previous year and the things I would like to change. Where I want to be.

You see, the part of me that I post here is just a teeny part of who I am. I have several other interests and passions but never seem to discuss them here. For example, I rarely talk religion. I'm not sure why. I suppose it's because I don't feel wise enough to do so yet. But it's a huge part of my life. And one area that I may start blogging about as I learn. I suppose I fear that it will isolate people, but sometimes God moves in such a way that it feels wrong to not share it. You all know that I have a passion for cooking and frugality but I also have deep interest in survivalism. And politics. And natural medicine (says the RN). I have a passion for gardening. And time management. And organization. And learning. And self sufficiency. And parenting. And nutrition.

Not that I'm knowledgeable about all of these. But I have a deep interest in them. And spend time reading about at least some of these topics online almost daily. And I need to update my sidebar to include many of these people/places that I read.

  • The Christmas giftcards were so fun.

I mentioned before that my sweet husband got me a Visa giftcard for Christmas. He didn't have a lot of time for shopping this year so he did this instead. I've been ordering things that I've wanted/needed forever and it's been a blast!. So far I've ordered/got:

Aprons

Potholders

A butter keeper (best thing EVER)

A diffuser for my hairdryer

A Family Guide to the Biblical Holidays (book)

Decadent socks

A huge tub of organic coconut oil

And a lovely new cookware set

Also I still plan to buy my buckets and lids (listed on my sidebar) and some garden stuff.

Whew! Enough for now. I hope to catch up with all of you soon, but it may take me a couple of weeks I'm so far behind.


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Friday, January 11, 2008

And Yet Again, I Say...

Well, I certainly had the best of intentions. Over ambitious as they may have been.

I certainly didn't get my house caught up in a day. It's only now starting to look back to normal.

I've had gifts to return and others to purchase. My wonderful husband was thoughtful enough to give me Visa giftcards this year so that I could order/purchase whatever my heart desires and I've spent some time coming up with ideas and trying to decide on the best ones.

I apologize that I've not been able to read your blog lately. I've just not had the time.

And again I say...

I hope to be back to myself (on the blog front anyway) come next week.

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Friday, January 04, 2008

To Anonymous

I wasn't sure if I should post your comment or not, but I wanted to thank you *so* much for taking the time to share that with me. If you think I should post it, please let me know.

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This Seems to Happen Every Year

Halloween comes, I blink, and it's January.

And a tornado or some such disastrous monstrosity has obviously whipped through my home while I was out because absolutely nothing is where it belongs.

And I'll bet you didn't know that a tornado could cause soap scum in your tub, did you? No you didn't.

There is no food in the house. Well, that's not true. The pantry is stocked fairly well, but no fresh food. So that's gotta happen.

The tree is down but not stored properly yet.

The floors, forgetaboutit.

So I'm going to go work on my home today. And hopefully will start back with my menu on Monday and normal posting after that. And please ignore the sidebar because nothing there is updated.

Unless I find a chunk of time somewhere before then. And truly you never know. I could find anything under all this clutter.

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