Every weekend, I post a tried and true recipe (for my family at least) that has ten or less ingredients. Follow this link for more under 10 recipes
I never said these recipes had to be healthy. Here's a good one from my friend Sheri (she designed my blog header!)
Meatloaf with Potatoes and Green Beans
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
Seasoned bread crumbs - enough so that it feels stiff, but not too dry*
Fresh or frozen green beans
Potatoes, diced
1 stick of butter or margarine**
Melt butter in electric skillet (to 350), or in a large skillet on the stovetop. Use beef, egg, and bread crumbs to form meatloaf. Put the meatloaf in the middle and surround it with the green beans and potatoes. Cook for about an hour, turning the meatloaf about half way through. Stir (for lack of a better word) the beans and potatoes occasionally.
*I usually just use some saltines or ritz crackers and sprinkle in some italian seasoning
**I use about 3/4 stick, though if my skillet were larger, I'd use the entire stick
If you try it, I'd love to hear how your family liked it!
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,
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Alison
on
10:14 PM
Good thing The Tall One got paid today, I just spent it all on plane tickets! So much for spending less than we earned this month. But that's another post.
I didn't submit posts to any carnivals this week, but I was the featured blogger over at Frugal Hacks. That was enough fame and glory for this week.
Here's some picks from this week:
Happy blog reading! Have a great weekend!
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Money Thoughts
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by
Alison
on
7:43 AM
Today I am the featured blogger over at Frugal Hacks, so if you are clicking over from there, welcome! I hope you'll take a minute to look through my site a bit. You'll find my archives, as well as links to recent articles, on the left. If you enjoy recipes, you might want to check out my Under 10 Recipes page. If you like what you see, I hope you'll consider subscribing by email (my new posts, and only my new posts, will show up in your inbox each day) or by RSS reader.
If you are one of my regular readers, please click on over to Frugal Hacks, and if you haven't already, peruse that wonderful site a bit.
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Money Thoughts
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by
Alison
on
9:26 PM
Last month I wrote about some ways I planned to combat the urge to go out and buy new furnishings so my house could be as cool as the house I attended for a playdate. I thought I'd give a little update on my progress.
I was going to do three things: keep the computer desk organized and clean, move the microwave to a different spot to give the illusion of more counter space, and enforce the no toys in the living room rule.
I've been trying really hard to keep the computer desk clutter free, and I've done a good job, but that clutter seems to multiply faster than my neighbor's rabbits. My biggest trouble spot is the top of the hutch. I have nothing cute and decorative to put there, so it's so easy to just let things pile up. I'm going to take drastic measures. I'd like to remove the hutch, and thus remove my trouble spot. I can't put junk on a hutch that doesn't exist, right? I've already started putting what's there in other places. A lot really was trash, if I haven't referred to it in months, then I don't need it. Some needed to be filed away. I took a cue from Mrs. Fussypants and made some covers for our cube storage units. I will put a lot of stuff in them now that I can just cover them up with fabric. And my best motivator for keeping it clean? My mother-in-law thinks it can't be done. Ha! I'm certainly up for a good challenge.
I moved the microwave away from the oven and I love it that when I pull something out of the oven I don't have to scramble to find a space to put it! There's enough counter space for it right there! It kind of takes away from prep space where it is now, but not enough that it really bothers me. Simply moving things around can make a huge difference!
Last but not least, enforcing the no toys in the living room rule. This one didn't go so well at first. Much to Bug's delight, I just couldn't remember my own rule! And to make matters worse, I'd often break it when Bug was at preschool or asleep and bring in some toys for Monkey so I could hang out on the computer and still keep an eye on him. The toys wouldn't always make it out of there. But I loved it when the room was clean and toy free, it made me so happy and content with my home. So I remembered that feeling and started enforcing the rule. I've started trying to make that room a nice area that will welcome others into my home and serve as a special place for entertaining as well as relaxing. I'll post more on that as I accomplish more.
I set out to do a few things that would make me love my house even more, and I did it with minimal money out of pocket (the fabric for the covers did cost a few dollars). What could be better than that?
Photo from everystockphoto.com
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Money Thoughts
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by
Alison
on
8:13 PM
In January, The Tall One got a raise. Hooray! More money to put into savings! More money to help us reach our financial goals!
Or not.
We didn't even adjust the budget, but I still feel like we're not saving as much as we could be. Before the raise, we had enough for our needs and some wants too, and now there's enough for the needs, some wants, and even more wants. I don't want to up our standard of living, but it feels like we're sliding upward without even thinking about it.
We always promised ourselves that when we got raises, we'd not absorb the extra. But easier said than done, I guess.
The way our budget worked pre-raise wast that every dollar went somewhere, with nothing budgeted for savings. But, we didn't always spend $100 a month on car repairs, so more often than not that would go into savings. And each month had some amount budgeted to clothes, but I didn't buy clothes every month, so more money for the bank. In the spring and fall, our utility bill was usually quite under budget, again more money to save for later. But now sometimes I find myself tempted to spend more. I mean, since all our numbers reflect a lower income, I can max out every category and still have extra money. But sometimes I don't. Sometimes I think that extra money should go far far away in a savings account and we should pretend it doesn't exist. Sadly, it's usually the former when it's something I want and the later when it's something that TTO wants.
We should probably allow ourselves a bit more wiggle room (yes, TTO, I know you're reading this and that's your cue to jump up and down in a happy manner), but oh it would be so cool to be that much closer to our goals.
Wiggle room, here we come. But that's a subject for another day.
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Alison
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4:45 PM
My in-laws were visiting for the last part of this week, so I just barely had some time to catch up on my reader. And well, I'm a day late, but not really a dollar short. I'm actually up $1.60 after I did a price adjustment at Target today.
The Carnival of Money Stories was held at Life Lessons of a Military Wife and included my post on teaching my son about money. Also check out Simplicity Challenge: Day 25 at Antishay Ventenne
The Make It From Scratch Carnival was hosted by GreenStyleMom this week and included my post on how I cut my finger, I mean the wall hangings I made from my son's blanket. There were many wonderful recipes this week, I especially liked Cheesy Chicken Crescents at Thrifty Mommy.
And a few favorites from my reader:
I'll be taking the day off in honor of Easter tomorrow, so no recipe. Happy Easter!
Yesterday I was at Target looking at sandals for Bug. I pulled the cheapest ones off of the shelf, had him try them on and then told him how cool they were. He agreed, but started pointing at other shoes and wanting to try them on too. He ended up liking a more expensive pair and wouldn't budge when I suggested getting the first ones. He's just stubborn enough and has a good enough memory that I was afraid if I bought the first pair, he'd refuse to wear them because he had wanted the second pair. In retrospect, I should have tried to play the "we don't have enough money for those ones" card. He's starting to grasp the concept that money pays for things, so it may have worked, but well, I kind of like the second pair better myself, even if they did cost a few more dollars.
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Buying Things
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by
Alison
on
7:17 AM
For some time now I've had a goal, and that goal was to make it home from the grocery store without smashing my loaf of bread. Normally I can get out of the store safely (unless I'm not paying attention and put something on top of it, or Bug gets a hold of it), it's in the car when I have trouble, like the time I thought I'd be all smart and put it away from the other groceries and had it behind the driver's seat - the driver's seat that automatically slides back when the driver's door opens. When I do manage to get it home in good shape, it never fails that Bug decides he needs to be the one to put the bread away and well, yeah, so much for my not smashed loaf. This past week though, I'm happy to report that the loaf stayed completely unsmashed!
But I'm still over budget so far this month. Just about $30 though, this month I've been buying a lot of those non-food items that still do go in with the grocery budget. Last month I bought hardly any and stayed under, so we'll see what the next two shopping trips bring. I'm going today and I'll try for $15 under normal. It may mean -gasp- not buying any ice cream though.
Many bloggers are reporting rising grocery prices in their areas. Except for at Costco, I haven't noticed that so much. I have noticed some really nice sales though, so I wonder if the stores are just using those to distract from the fact that they are raising the prices on other things? I don't know.
I bought more cereal (what else is new?). It was on sale for $1.25 when you bought 8. And I paired it up with enough coupons to get each box for less than a dollar.
In other shopping news, Target has some spring like clothing already on clearance. I picked up some short-sleeved T-shirts for Buggy for $2.78 and a skirt for me for $5. I also saw a bunch of women's shorts clearance priced too. And I still have not decided on a car seat.
I've been in car seat land lately as I try and find a new car seat for Monkey. It's just so hard to know which ones are of good quality and where to find the best price. I decided to take a little break from car seat research to share what I do when I'm researching an important purchase.
Find out what's out there
I first did some browsing online and at Target and Wal-mart, just to get a feel for what is out there and how much I can expect to pay. It's been over three years since I last bought a car seat, the products have changed.
Online or In Store?
I'll be buying the car seat in a store simply because I don't want to wait for it tobe shipped. This means that my choices may be narrowed down a bit, so deciding this was a good thing to do early on. It would have been not so great to fall in love with a seat only to find out I can't get it locally and it's on backorder at every online store. Maybe you don't care where you purchase it as long as you get the best price out there, just don't forget to factor in shipping costs! Returns are another thing to keep in mind when you are deciding where you'll buy. Some chains will allow you to return an item in store that you purchased online, but if you go with a web only company, returns may be tricky.
Figure out what you want
What characteristics are important to you? Obviously with a car seat, safety is number one, but I'd also like something that weighs less than the child in it and that doesn't take up the entire backseat. I've also decided that Monkey will be moving up into Bug's seat and I'll buy Bug a seat that is designed only for forward facing, has a five point harness, but can still be converted into a belt positioning booster in a few years. These seem to be cheaper than the convertible seats that can rear face or forward face.
Pick Your Product
Now that you've narrowed it down a bit, ask for recommendations, you could always start the whole process by asking for recommendations, but I find that sometimes it's easier if you narrow it down a bit beforehand. It probably depends a lot on what you're in the market for.
Look for reviews online. I like to check Amazon.com and Target.com. Keep in mind that even with a good product that's worth purchasing, you'll still probably find bad reviews. If people are consistently commenting about the same flaw, then you might want to go with another product.
Find the Best Price
If you decide that you'll buy it in store, check prices at all the stores so you know you're getting the best price. If you can, wait a few weeks to see if the item goes on sale. Often stores will credit you if you buy something and it goes on sale within a few weeks, so after you buy keep checking the ads if that's the case.
If I am going to purchase online, I might just google whatever I'm going to buy or visit some online retailers that I know carry the product. The later is more efficient for car seat purchasing, but when I was in the market for some sheets of magnet paper, I simply googled it. I also visited eBay. Turns out the merchant who had the best price for what I wanted also had an eBay store where they sold the same product for slightly less. Look online for coupon codes that might help you save money. We have a Discover Card and if we use that card, and enter the store's site through a link on Discover's webpage, we'll get a 5% cashback bonus on our purchase.
Here are three resources that can give you some tips for finding the best price online:
How do you research a big purchase?
Photo by byrdiegyrl
Every weekend, I post a tried and true recipe (for my family at least) that has ten or less ingredients. Follow this link for more under 10 recipes
'Tis the season for corned beef and cabbage. The Tall One and I aren't fans of corned beef, but you've got to make something that will take advantage of all the cabbage sales around St. Patrick's Day. We use it for Cabbage Sausage Soup.
Cabbage Sausage Soup
1 head of cabbage
1 lb. Polish Sausage
Chop and core cabbage. Slice sausage. Put both ingredients (but not the core from the cabbage) into a large pot along with enough water to fill the bottom 1/2 inch. of the pot. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until the cabbage is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Alison
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9:41 PM
Today my baby is nine months old. If anyone knows where these last nine months went, I'd love to know!
Here's some posts worth mentioning:
Personal Finance 101 - Sinking Funds at Simple Mom: I thought that 'sinking funds' was a term I could use for my irregular expenses accounts. It really is a good idea and she explains it well.
Living, Whether in Debt or Debt Free at Mrs. Micah: A guest post by Emily from Remodeling This Life It's a great reminder that finances aren't everything.
What I Hate About Wal-Mart at Single Guy Money: Wal-Mart is not my most favorite of stores, so this of course made me laugh.
Frugal Math at Frugal Hacks: In my previous life (as in before I had children) I taught elementary school and I really liked this post, and the teacher in me really, really liked this post.
Don't Set Up Yourself to Crash and Burn - Wiggle at I've Paid Twice For This Already: A reminder that it's good to allow yourself some little fun things here and there.
Southwestern Falafel with Guacamole at A Penny Closer: Gotta throw in a recipe for good measure, and this one sounds awesome!
Have a wonderful weekend!
When I do a craft with Bug, I like it to be something that can be useful in some way. So sometimes we'll make cards for relatives, or he'll create something I can put up on the wall because it makes for great decor or because it fits with the season and I'm just too lazy to ever take it down. Bug has his own camera and likes to take pictures, so I thought a scrapbook would be not only a great craft for him, but also a fun keepsake.
I let him choose the paper and the embellishments. He also chose where all the elements would go. I chose to put the brad on the small tag in the corner of the page on the right, because it was just screaming for such a thing.
He loved it and is constantly asking me to make more pages with him. And it was something that I had fun doing with him and, since I had everything on hand, didn't cost a thing.
Filed under
kids' money
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by
Alison
on
10:22 PM
This is the second post in a series of posts on how I'm teaching my kids about money. You can read part one here
Recently Bug (my three year old) wanted to go to the mall to play at the play area. He asked me if it cost any money. I told him it didn't. Then he asked me how much money it costs to go the Children's Museum he loved. I told him $10. He told me that I'd have to work* so we could have enough money to go to that museum.
Something is starting to click.
Today at the store, I let him pick out the snacks for Joy School. He chose string cheese and I was doing some cost comparison when he asked me how much they each cost. When I told him, he asked me if I had that much money.
I think next time he's at the store with me, I'll give him a small amount of money and let him choose something to buy with that amount. He's starting to grasp that some numbers are bigger than others, so he should understand if he picks something that costs more than he has.
*I do have a part-time work from home job, so it's not as if he was telling me to get off my rear and earn some money to take him to the museum.
Yesterday, I put Monkey (my almost nine month old) on the scale to see how much he weighed. He's getting very close to 20 pounds, which means he's getting very close to needing a new carseat. This came as a surprise to me, but shouldn't have. Bug didn't grow out of his infant seat until he was close to 13 months old, but I was still prepared, I asked for it for Christmas for him when he was just 5 months old. But nowhere in this year's budget did I account for a new carseat for Monkey (which is more of a nuisance than a problem).
On Monday is his 9 month check up, and therefore he'll get weighed. I really hope he has some time left before he hits 20 pounds so I can do a better job researching prices and maybe come across a nice sale. He looked really close to 20 on our scale, but who knows, maybe I'll just end up buying a more accurate scale and have a little while before I need to have the carseat. Though the scale isn't in the budget either...
Every weekend, I post a tried and true recipe (for my family at least) that has ten or less ingredients. Follow this link for more under 10 recipes
This was one of my favorites growing up. The Tall One will eat it, but it's not his favorite. Buggy doesn't like anything right now (but might tomorrow), so I tend not to use him as a judge of my cooking and Monkey seems to just like applesauce. Here's the recipe, try it with your family!
Hamburger and Stuffing
1 lb hamburger
1 box stuffing, prepared
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
a little bit of ketcup*
Put about half of the uncooked hamburger in the bottom of a loaf pan. Cover with prepared stuffing** Cover with remaining hamburger. Mix remaining ingredients and pour on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
*I have no idea how much a little bit is, but I'm thinking no more than 2 tbsp.
**Depending on the size of your pan, you may not use the entire box, though if you really like stuffing, you might want to use the entire box anyway.
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,
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Alison
on
3:28 PM
Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, be sure to change your clocks! Unless of course you live in Arizona or other parts of the country that aren't in to such things, in that case, I wouldn't advise it. I lived in Arizona for a vast majority of my life, so I'm still getting used to the whole time changing thing.
The Make It From Scratch Carnival was over at Tips and Tricks 4 Me. My recipe for Lomo Saltado was included. One post from this carnival that I enjoyed was this one at GreenStyleMom. She shows how to make some neat toy dolls.
The Carnival of Family Life was at Discussing Autism. My post entitled The Optimism of Youth was included. A post that I particularly liked from this carnival was Top 10 Cheapest Ways to Exercise at The Digerati Life. I must add to #3 though, only borrowing the exercise tapes from library isn't enough, you have to actually work out along with them. I've been borrowing a DVD each week from the library for about a month and have yet to pop one in.
The Festival of Frugality was at Broke Grad Student and included my post on foods you can freeze. A post from this carnival that I really enjoyed was recipes for seasoning mixes at Cheap Healthy Good
And some other posts you might enjoy:
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks to an extra paycheck (The Tall One is paid every other week) and our income tax refund, our February surplus is near $4000. That means that in February, we were able to fully fund our emergency fund (fully funded for now, later we'll fund it so there's closer to six months living costs in it, right now there's about a month and a half) and fully fund the irregular expenses, or the everything else account. $30 was automatically put into the Christmas money account, a few hundred stays in the checking account to cover anything that may come up, and the rest went to the car stuff account. It looks like we may be drawing from that account this month too, TTOs car is leaking.
Budget-wise, the only category we went over in was diapers. I found a sale and stocked up. I shouldn't have to buy any in March (and speaking of diapers, I wrote a review of the store brand that I use for Baby Cheapskate, go check it out!). That's right, that means I came under in groceries. A little less than $4. I was hoping to be under by more, but whatever, the family does need to eat.
So here's to a great March where hopefully car repairs don't make too much of a dent in our savings plan!
I had never realized how many blankets we had until Bug took them all out of the closet and piled them up. I decided that the linen closet wouldn't miss this one:
So I ventured into the craft room today to brave the rotary cutter and all other sharp things in order to finish the project I started last week. I cut up the blanket and made two wall hangings. These go with Monkey's bedding (and wallpaper border) so everything's cute and matchy and I'm happy.
Making what I want using what I've already got is my favorite way to be frugal and save money!
Filed under
Buying Things
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by
Alison
on
9:31 PM
I get a few catalogs in the mail, mainly from companies I've bought from in the past. Sometimes I take the time to flip through, other times they get tossed right away. They've never really made me want to buy something I don't need. Until yesterday.
I got in the mail a catalog from Down East Basics (check out the skirt on the front page, isn't that adorable?). I got their Fall and Winter catalogs and was not very impressed. But their Spring catalog, oh my. But do I need clothes? I certainly want more, but I always have a hard time figuring out when I need more. I purchased a few maternity tops last year from them and I was pleased with their quality, overall, but it seems like I can get more bang for my buck elsewhere.
I should just toss the catalog and forget it. But I probably won't. I'll keep it around and maybe, just maybe, buy myself a new skirt.
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Buying Things
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by
Alison
on
10:06 PM
I try and shoot for filling up my gas tank no more frequently than every two weeks (I don't drive a whole lot, but we live sort of far from some places that go often). This week I thought I was sitting pretty as on Friday I noticed I had just passed the half a tank mark - Saturday would have been the two week mark, but maybe I could make it three weeks!
But then on Saturday The Tall One drove all over town to find a sprinkler part (he took the kids, so I can't get too mad) and then later he drove all over town to find a part and a tool to repair his car (and this time I can be partially mad because he only took one kid). That night we drove 40 miles one way to see a concert (free tickets from TTOs work, can't complain there) and on the way home stopped for gas. Sigh. So close, yet so far.
Every weekend, I post a tried and true recipe (for my family at least) that has ten or less ingredients. Follow this link for more under 10 recipes
Cheesy Volcano Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
6 Ritz crackers, crushed
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup spaghetti sauce, divided
12 (approx. 1/2 inch) cubes of cheddar cheese
French Bread*
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Mix meat, cracker crumbs, Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the spaghetti sauce in medium bowl. Shape into twelve meatballs, using about 2 Tbsp. meat mixture for each. Place, 2 inches apart, in shallow baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Press 1 cheese cube deeply into center of each meatball. Bake 14 min. or until meatballs are cooked through (160ºF). Meanwhile, microwave remaining 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 30 sec. or until heated through. Spoon sauce evenly into buns. Fill each with meatballs.
*The recipe calls for hot dog buns, I use french bread.
Recipe from Kraftfoods.com
