How to Save Practically Anything: My Dress

I have this lovely dress.

Which, unfortunately, comes with really cheap plastic rings attaching the straps.

When I first wore this dress to a wedding, I guess I had the straps too tight because one of the cheap plastic rings snapped. :(  Thankfully I had a sweater to wear to cover this mishap.

Later, I brainstormed ways to re-attach the straps.  My ingenius solution?

A paper clip!

I even managed to find one that blends in well with the colors of my dress. :)

I have another one on stand-by, lest the same misfortune strike the other strap.

Why get rid of a perfectly good dress if I can just fix it? :)

How to Save Practically Anything: Dog Food Bag

Okay. Maybe my newfound love of frugality is bordering on insanity. But, if it saves me money, I won't complain!

We buy 15.5 lb bags of food for Daisy.  It's just more economical, and it's usually on sale.  These bags have handy-dandy zipper tops on them.  Love it! Keeps the food really fresh.  We just finished the first of these bags recently.  About to throw it away, I set it aside and thought...

...this bag could be VERY handily re-purposed as a trash bag! Even better, when it's about full, I can ZIP it shut securely!

Looks kind of silly, but very effective!

It only gets one extra use, but a very worthwhile one.  Maybe saving myself ONE extra trash bag every couple of months doesn't save me dollars, but I also believe in making the most of every resource we are blessed with.  Plus, all of the little things add up in the end!

Recipe: Italian Turkey Meatballs

Tonight I made a delicious recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Parmesian Orzo with Meatballs.

As much as I love the recipes in this book, they often call for pre-packaged or frozen ingredients.  For economical as well as health reasons, I prefer to make things fresh and from scratch.  So when the recipe called for a bag of frozen meatballs, I set out to figure out how to make them!

I found this recipe and altered it according to what I have, as well as what I preferred.

I will have to add photos of the preparation process in the future, as I got too busy and forgot to take them!

But here's the finished product:

And here are the meatballs with the Parmesian Orzo.

...and the recipe!

You will need:
1 lb ground turkey
2 T Italian seasoning
1 T Basil
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 T milk
2 mozzarella cheese sticks

Combine all ingredients except the cheese sticks in a medium bowl.  Cut the cheese sticks into rounds about 1" long (about 15 per stick).  Use a soup-sized spoon to portion out amounts of meat--about 1 T each, maybe a little more, eyeball it!  They should be roughly the size of a ping pong ball. Put 1 piece of cut cheese into the meat and roll it into a ball.  Place each ball onto a greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Makes about 30 meatballs.

These came out very juicy and delicious!!!

Meal Idea: Homemade Chili & Cornbread

As I learn more and more about cooking and food, naturally I want to try and create some of my own recipes. So today, I decided to experiment with chili!

A day like this... definitely calls for such a hearty, hot meal.  What a chilly start to May! (no pun intended :D )

Ingredients:
1 15-oz can each of Pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, and great northern beans.
1 28-oz can organic fire-roasted tomatoes, diced, with liquid
half of a yellow onion, diced
4-5 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 TBSP chili powder
1 cup of water (based on cook time of 4-5 hours)

Throw it all in a crock pot on high for 4-5 hours.  If you need it to cook longer, add some extra water, based on the consistency you prefer your chili.

This is the oh-so-delicious result:

This chili, as I prepared it today, is "kid-friendly".  It wasn't at all spicy, but it was VERY flavorful!  I'm going to attempt to give it some more "kick" next time. :)

I also made homemade cornbread!  I got the recipe here, but for your convenience I will repost it.  I just want to give credit where it is due!

1 cup of corn meal
1 cup of flour
2-4 TBSP sugar (I used 2 and it was perfect!)
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil (I used canola)

whisk the corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk and oil.  Then add the wet mixture to the dry and stir together until JUST combined.  Then pour into a 9x9 baking dish.  Bake at 425 for 15-20 mins or until a golden brown.  Tastes great plain OR with a bit of butter!

This is the perfect meal for a late spring stormy day or in the fall/winter!

Rescue Your Food! And Save Money too!

Over the years, I've gone through many different phases of how I eat my meals.  Even in college, surprisingly, I didn't live on a ramen diet and I ate the healthiest that I ever have.

However, especially since having gotten married, requiring me to purchase more food, I've needed to refine my methods due to the following problems.

Wasted food.
Wasted money.
Wasted time.

All of those things are quite important to me! Although not in that particular order. :)

So, if you have similar problems, here's my method of dealing with them! It's quite simple and in the end will save your sanity.

1.  Create a Weekly Meal Plan.  Knowing what you're going to be eating in the next several days is VERY helpful when avoiding the temptation to just eat out.  Include meals that are simple to make and, if possible, cook something ahead!  Usually, by the time I create my meal plan, I know what's happening the next week, too, so it's not difficult to plan easier meals on busier days.  Often times, I include a leftover night because by the end of the week, there are usually enough leftovers for me and my husband to eat on.

I used to create BI-weekly meal plans, until I realized that the food I bought would get old and go to waste. I also found that I missed more sale opportunities at the store, and actually spent MORE money on food I thought I would need.  Smaller, weekly shopping trips are actually saving me money.

For a fun idea on creating your weekly plan, see an easy craft my friend made. :)

2. Use the food that you already have FIRST.  I've found that I waste food because I tend to forget it's there, lurking in the dark corners of my fridge, freezer and pantry.  When you're creating your weekly plan, take stock of what you have and base as many of your meals around these foods as possible. Perishable, nonperishable, it doesn't matter. The older it is, the grosser it is! :O Eat that food first! :)  You don't have to use it ALL in one week--just prioritize those foods before you buy more!

(somehow we ended up with 5 peanut butters and 5 different jams... all bought at different times... how bizarre is that?!)

3.  Base your meals on what's on sale at the store. I shop at 2 different stores, since one has especially cheap, local produce, while the other has better deals on other products I buy.  I have signed up to receive notifications from these stores via email, so when I get the weekly flyer in my inbox, I look at them, compare what they have to offer, and create a grocery list.

HUGE money saving tip: do NOT veer from your shopping list! And do NOT shop hungry! :) I struggle with this personally, because being around all that delicious food makes me hungry! :D Eat a good snack before you grocery shop!

These 3 things will help reduce money wasted on food that spoils or on eating out.  They will help save you from wasting food that goes bad, which obviously ties to my previous statement. :)  And you'll save time by planning ahead and knowing what's for dinner each night.  Just takes some planning and discipline, and the homemade goodness is totally worth it!

The Power of "Self-Sufficiency"

The title of this post probably makes it sound a lot different than my intent.

First and foremost, I believe that depending on God is the best way to live and will result in a better quality of life.

I also believe that people should not be afraid to ask others for help when it is appropriate.  Too many suffer in silence because they can't let go of their pride.

What I want to discuss is the power of learning to do things yourself.  Learning new skills, sometimes doing things the "hard way" rather than taking shortcuts, etc.  In many cases, doing things yourself (and I don't mean the typical "DIY" trend necessarily) will help you:
1. save money
2.cause you to appreciate technology and those who came before us and
3. can help you lead a healthier lifestyle as well.

Take cooking, for instance. Some of my most favorite recipes call for ingredients I define as "the easy way out".  They might be convenience foods, but often times they are a less healthy option and perhaps also more expensive.  Some examples are "a frozen bag of onion/bell pepper mix" or a "block of cheese product".  So, my three points above applied to the bell pepper/onion example:

1. I can save money by buying fresh bell peppers and onions and chop and freeze them myself, or modify the recipe slightly to accommodate the use of the fresh ingredients versus frozen.  A small bag of this mix can cost anywhere from a dollar to two or three dollars depending on size and brand, and if it's on sale.  Green bell peppers can be found anywhere from 50 cents to a dollar, other colors at $1-1.50, and yellow onions are usually no more than $1/lb.  For a green and a red pepper and one onion, that's an estimated cost of $3. That seems to match the high-end cost of the frozen bag BUT--You won't need 100% of those ingredients for one meal usually (and if you do, you'd likely need 2 of those frozen bags) so you can save them for another meal.

2. If I use the frozen bag, all I have to do is grab it from the freezer and dump it in. Quick and easy.  While I definitely appreciate the opportunity to take a short cut, I place more value in hard work and the skills I learn in the kitchen by using fresh vegetables.  I've learned how to cut onions and peppers efficiently, that's for sure. Although I still struggle with those darn watering eyes! :/ Mine are stubborn and resilient to efforts against it.  When I have kids, I want to be able to teach them how to chop up veggies, rather than display the "lazy" way of frozen, bagged-everything being thrown into a pot.  I think it's valuable for skills to be transferred across generations--even when there's an easier alternative available (here's lookin' at you, graphing calculators!)

3. When you buy a bag of frozen-something, you don't necessarily know what might be added, what the process of freezing/bagging did to the vegetables, etc.  I would say it's generally always healthier to use fresh produce over frozen or canned.  This gives you a bit more control over what you put in your body and can help you live a healthier, happier, longer life. :)

Perhaps I can write more descriptive blog posts about other ways this applies, otherwise this post will be 10 chapters long. :P  Other applications include making your own home cleaners/stain removers/etc, more cooking like making your own cheese sauce etc, taking care of your own vehicle, on and on and on.

Readers, let me know if these type of posts might interest you!

Idea: Need Input!

Today as I was driving home I had an idea for a potential side business.

During the day at work, many people get hungry and order in food for lunch, or go out to eat.  Often times these meals aren't very healthy, and certainly not as delicious as home-cooked food.  Even the healthier options can be quite costly.
People also don't always have the time and energy to put together a delicious, nutritious, homemade meal for lunch at work the next day.

What if there was an option for a healthy, homemade meal to be delivered to you?

This meal might be something hot, fresh-cooked.  Or it could be a more traditional lunch, consisting of a sandwich and side items, for instance.

The ingredients would be homemade, organic, and/or all-natural.  The food would of course taste delicious and have the healthiness of eating at home.

I haven't done the cost research yet, but the goal is to find a way to prepare these meals that is a good value to the customer--not too expensive, but enough to cover food costs and the expense of delivery with a small profit.

I also had the idea that this might be lucrative for dinner as well!  Sometimes families are in a hurry or don't have much time or energy, but they don't want to succumb to eating out or ordering in constantly--these are not the healthiest options.  What if they could order a truly homecooked meal to be delivered?

And this wouldn't just benefit families... I personally have single friends who aren't very adept at cooking, and/or are too tired at the end of a long work day to prepare something very desirable that doesn't just go in the microwave.

Having been told repeatedly how delicious my food is, I know I could provide quality food.  I also have ideas as to how to make this work logistically. But to begin with, I want to know if people would be interested! I want to know others' thoughts on types of foods that would appeal to them in this format.  And any other thoughts that might arise!

Please respond, and feel free to share this idea with others so I can get some input! Thank you! :)

Dinner Idea: Southwest Mac n Cheese

Tonight I cooked and served up my most original recipe yet: Southwest Mac n Cheese.

I LOVE mac n cheese. So when I saw a recipe with a similar title in a cookbook I love, I just HAD to give it a try.  Problem was, I didn't appreciate that recipe enough. :)  It had ingredients I didn't think were wholesome enough, and it seemed kind of... boring. But the IDEA was excellent!

So, I took my own regular homemade mac n cheese recipe and added a bunch of delicious things to it--black beans, corn, chili peppers, and bell peppers.  I also added chili powder and just a bit of seasoning salt to bring out the flavors.  In the end it needed a bit more flavor from the spices, but this recipe was a great start!

I was just playing around with it tonight, in terms of quantities, so I didn't take any accurate measurements.  I'll make this recipe again in a few weeks and actually measure things, so I can post a recipe for everyone to enjoy!

Daisy

Jason, Peanut and I have added a new member to our family!

Meet Daisy!

...She's currently driving me bonkers, but she's certainly brought more laughter into our home.  Poor Peanut is just glad when she has a moment without a dog in her face!  But they're adjusting.  I don't think Daisy had ever seen a cat before Peanut, and she seems to wonder, why won't this thing play with me?!

Daisy is a 6 month old Corgi.  She came to us fully trained, which is awesome. :)  It's definitely a challenge having a dog in an apartment--having to take her outside every few hours, take her on walks, etc.  We aren't used to having to do all that for a pet! Neither of us has had a dog in quite some time.

Still, we're enjoying her, and she seems content.

So if anyone has dogs and needs a playdate, let me know! Daisy would be thrilled to have another dog to rough around with!

Trying New Things

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that.

Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and that's hard enough to deal with, without having a blog to worry about. :) But hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things.

I'm a person of many and varied interests. One new thing I've decided to try is selling collectibles.

Of course, I had to choose an area of focus, so I chose Domo! He's quite popular right now, and I lucked out recently finding some clearance-priced Domos.  So I'm attempting to sell them at fair prices--more than what I paid, less than retail price (depending on the particular outlet).

Interested in Domo? I have postings on ebay and Craigslist! I'm selling (at the moment) a couple of plushes and some tiny Domo figures that are pretty rare! I lucked out finding those!

Know someone who is interested in Domo? Please refer them to me! :) I'm not sure how this will all pan out, it's just an experiment, but I thought it'd be fun to try!

In other news, I'm FINALLY nearing the end of my spring apartment cleaning/organizing.  The place is looking much better and feeling more cozy.

In my next post, I'll introduce you to our newest family member!

Miramont Castle: Black N White

I like how this one came out, despite using a non-fancy camera.

Miramont Castle, Manitou Springs, CO

Photo: Garden of the Gods B&W

I love black and white photography. :) I took this one today (1/13/12) at Garden of the Gods. I think it came out quite well!

Live With No Regrets

Today the world lost a special young guy. This song he wrote and sang touches my heart with a message of how I want to live my life.

A year ago tomorrow, Jason's (my husband) dad also passed away. So lots of remembering going on right now. Reflecting on life and living it in a way that brings glory to God. I want to live my life in a way that leaves no regrets.

The Lord can call us home at any time. As Shawn was fighting for his life in Utah, I sat playing a computer game on Facebook. Even at the time I realized how trivial that was, and even though I was praying as I mindlessly clicked the mouse button, part of me wondered if I could be doing something even better. Of course, there's always something better to be doing, although the Lord wouldn't frown upon a relaxing activity like a game as long as it does not consume my day.

Tomorrow, I get to wake up to another day, more than likely. Shawn does not. Curt Kisner does not. How can I spend my tomorrow in a way that, if the Lord were to call me home tomorrow night, I would be satisfied with what I've done and what I leave behind?

Frugality: Money Saving Ideas

Yesterday I posted a Facebook status asking for ways people save money and practice frugality in general. I was surprised at the amount of responses I received! Some were things I definitely already know and practice, others were brand new! But I'm going to share them all so anyone else who is interested can get new ideas!

1. Coupons!

2. Make your own coffee at home and avoid going to coffee shops.

3. Take your lunch to work and don't eat out.

4. coordinate shopping trips to save gas.

5. Use a grocery list when shopping and buy only what's on the list.

6. Cut cable.

7. Buy generic brands over name brands.

8. Get your personal finances in order (visit sites like The Simple Dollar for good advice!)

9. Plan your meals around grocery ads and what's on sale.

10. visit totallyfreestuff.com to pick up free samples and such.

11. Use the 10-second/30-day rules before making purchases.

12. Grow your own garden.

13. Use towels/cloth napkins rather than paper towels.

14. Line-dry clothes.

15. Watch TV less (or not at all!)

16. Bike or walk when possible instead of driving.

17. make your own laundry detergent

18. avoid buying soft drinks

19. use CFL lightbulbs

20. simplify your cell phone plan

21. use a water filter rather than buying bottled water

22. use a cash-only system for purchases to limit your spending

23. don't eat out!

24. create a personal budget

25. Find entertainment that is very inexpensive or free.

Over the next month or so I plan on elaborating on each of these topics. Some of them I haven't tried myself (yet). I will do a bit of research into each one, and if I have time I will try it before I post on it-if not I'll write a later post on what happened!

I want to investigate the practicality as well as frugality of each of these awesome ideas. Feel free to comment and let me know what works (and doesn't!) for you!

Meal Idea: Homemade Mac N Cheese

I LOVE macaroni and cheese. Well, I love pretty much anything with cheese. It's heaven in my mouth.

So you can imagine my horror when I dared to look at the nutrition info and ingredients of a box of mac n cheese from the store one day. YIKES. I knew I loved mac n cheese too much to give it up... and yet I wanted to eat something healthier. Even the organic boxes didn't seem healthy enough.

So one day, I decided to make my own!

It's actually not that difficult. I followed a basic cheese sauce recipe and added it the the noodles. I start boiling the water for the pasta (medium-high, covered) before I begin the cheese sauce. I prefer using mini shells, but all sorts of noodles work just fine!

The following amounts are enough for about 12 oz of pasta.

2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP flour (basically, just keep equal portions of each if you increase or decrease the amount you make)
1 cup milk

1 cup cheese (I find sharp cheddar is the most flavorful without having to add salt. It's also fun to add different kinds of cheeses. Mix it up!)

First melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then mix in the flour until it's thoroughly combined. Gradually add the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time. Once all

the milk is in, stir continually until the mixture boils.

Once the water for the pasta has boiled, take a quick break from stirring (or wrangle a helper!) and add the pasta.

When it just starts to boil, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese! (a note: you can add more cheese if you like, it just increases the thickness. It does NOT increase the flavor to add more cheese.)

If your pasta is ready, go ahead and drain/strain it. Then add it to the cheese sauce. YUM!

My favorite pairing of side dishes with mac n cheese is broccoli and sausage. I like smoked kielbasa, although most recently we tried a new apple-flavored natural sausage that was DELICIOUS. This meal is sure to be a hit with

kids--it was my favorite growing up! :)

Project: Kitchen Menu

I owe some credit for this idea to my friend, Amanda Reid.

This little project is a HUGE help in planning weekly meals! And when we plan meals ahead, we also eat out less! This helps our finances AND our waistlines. :)

This is a simple project. I used:

one 8x10 frame

scrapbooking paper(I used 2 different sheets to create the top/bottom border and the solid middle)

letter stickers (or you can use a pen or marker and write them in)

dry erase markers

Just cut the papers to fit the 8x10 size (most scrapbooking paper comes in a square shape). Arrange the letter stickers onto the paper how you want to display the days of the week. Insert the paper into the frame; hang on the wall in your kitchen. Use the dry-erase markers on the glass (wipes off easily!) to write in each day's dinner plans.

Voila! Super-easy, fashionable weekly meal planner!

And another bonus? Now no one needs to ask what's for dinner. ;)

Learning to say "I'm Sorry"

Recently, I've struggled with strong emotions relating to mistakes I've made in my past. I've hurt people I cared for very deeply, and some of those relationships were ruined as a result.

The very worst part is, it was never intentional.

Through my tears I have asked "why?" many times, asking the Lord why I am suddenly having this influx of painful flashbacks.

I have noticed, especially in the past week, that I have been a lot quicker to say "I'm sorry" to my husband when I speak to him in a disrespectful manner. Not 100% of the time; not always immediately; but it is happening more frequently.

Ideally, I will soon learn to take more control over my tone of voice and my mood/emotions so I can preemptively avoid speaking to him that way, period. But the apologies and awareness of this weakness are definitely a step in the right direction!

And if learning to speak more respectfully to those I love is the only reason that God is allowing me to experience these painful memories, then more glory to Him and I'll accept it.

Long Walks

Long walks are good for the soul.

At a time where my heart sometimes feels overwhelmed by different circumstances, I know I can take refuge in the peace, quiet, and sometimes solitude of a long walk. The exercise is good for my body, the fresh air good for my spirit. I might spend half the walk thinking, praying, crying, and whatnot, but I ALWAYS return home refreshed.

A hot shower afterward sure helps as well!

Today I walked for two hours. (!) I sometimes forget that the "Square Mile" takes that long to walk. It was icy, chilly, and I slipped and fell (and nearly lost my phone) once, but I am so glad I went. Further reason I hope to eventually move closer to the country again! I don't like having to drive for 20-30 minutes to go on such walks.