I am not entirely sure what I did to offend the Cosmos, but I am deeply, deeply, truly, and sincerely sorry.
I understood the demise of my stand mixer. It was old. I get the fact that when you buy a toaster based on the pattern (yes, animal print) it comes in, you are choosing form over function. I can almost fathom the demise of my microwave, being over five years old.
I get that January is a bad money month for most people. I understand that we lost a full day of pay due to my inability to catch on Christmas Eve, but seriously, the string of bad luck, unfortunate money circumstances, and just general badness has got to come to an end.
But when I wake up to frozen pipes and go to bed to a washer that sounds almost like a tractor trailer that won't stop, randomly decides not to drain, and has almost all my husband's work shirts in it, I'm sending a general question out to the universe...What the hell did I do to you?
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Monday, October 4, 2010
I feel so virtuous when I apply heat to food.
Why is that?
It doesn't make it healthier. It doesn't make it less fattening. In almost every case, it both leeches nutrients and adds fat. Last night, I decided to make Mr.Lovinangels a snack, and could have easily sliced some fruit and whole grain bread, and he would have been very happy.
Instead, I added a stick of butter, a mess of sugar, and an unquantified amount of white flour and made the perfectly healthy fruit into a crisp.
And yes, Mr. Lovinangels was very happy.
I felt like wifey of the year, until I ran the recipe through Calorie Count, and now I'm left wondering when my subconscious decided it was time to murder my husband of five years via arterial blockage.Today, same situation, but evidently I haven't learned my lesson.
The kids would have been perfectly happy with fresh bread, fruit and cheese for lunch, but it's cold and wet outside, so I feel like something warm is the way to go. Serving the kids bread, fruit, and cheese is lazy. If I grill the bread and cheese, suddenly I feel like a good mom, and the reality is, all I've done is added two or three hundred calories worth of saturated fat.
There's a crustless quiche in the oven right now. Because I couldn't have heated up the leftover vegetable soup. (That would have been too easy, don't they deserve better?)
To make this even more ironic, it's likely that later on this afternoon, I will complain loudly about the amount of dishes I have to wash. Rather than napping to make up for last night's impromptu toddler-party-like-a-rock star all night event, I will bitch and moan and whine like a certain eleven year old denied a trip to the opening night of Eclipse.
Seriously, who made this mess? Me. By choice. The kids would have loved a pb and j. Loved it. Eaten it well, and gone to be bed happy with full little bellies. Instead, I'm fighting with a fussy three year old over a truly gorgeous spinach and bacon quiche.
I blame the new house. Clearly my inability to control my culinary impulses is the fault of this new kitchen, with it's shiny floors and newly redone cabinets. This kitchen that doesn't make me feel like an extra on Green Acres. (Like my last kitchen.)
Oh, look at me! I've mastered the American dream! You know, when you do something stupid, blame someone else.
It doesn't make it healthier. It doesn't make it less fattening. In almost every case, it both leeches nutrients and adds fat. Last night, I decided to make Mr.Lovinangels a snack, and could have easily sliced some fruit and whole grain bread, and he would have been very happy.
Instead, I added a stick of butter, a mess of sugar, and an unquantified amount of white flour and made the perfectly healthy fruit into a crisp.
And yes, Mr. Lovinangels was very happy.
I felt like wifey of the year, until I ran the recipe through Calorie Count, and now I'm left wondering when my subconscious decided it was time to murder my husband of five years via arterial blockage.Today, same situation, but evidently I haven't learned my lesson.
The kids would have been perfectly happy with fresh bread, fruit and cheese for lunch, but it's cold and wet outside, so I feel like something warm is the way to go. Serving the kids bread, fruit, and cheese is lazy. If I grill the bread and cheese, suddenly I feel like a good mom, and the reality is, all I've done is added two or three hundred calories worth of saturated fat.
There's a crustless quiche in the oven right now. Because I couldn't have heated up the leftover vegetable soup. (That would have been too easy, don't they deserve better?)
To make this even more ironic, it's likely that later on this afternoon, I will complain loudly about the amount of dishes I have to wash. Rather than napping to make up for last night's impromptu toddler-party-like-a-rock star all night event, I will bitch and moan and whine like a certain eleven year old denied a trip to the opening night of Eclipse.
Seriously, who made this mess? Me. By choice. The kids would have loved a pb and j. Loved it. Eaten it well, and gone to be bed happy with full little bellies. Instead, I'm fighting with a fussy three year old over a truly gorgeous spinach and bacon quiche.
I blame the new house. Clearly my inability to control my culinary impulses is the fault of this new kitchen, with it's shiny floors and newly redone cabinets. This kitchen that doesn't make me feel like an extra on Green Acres. (Like my last kitchen.)
Oh, look at me! I've mastered the American dream! You know, when you do something stupid, blame someone else.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Ten dollar meals crack me up! (and a real money saving meal)
Any amateur foodie has seen this.
A celebrity chef displayed prominently on a pricey magazine, with the heading "SAVE YOUR BUDGET! TEN DOLLAR DINNERS! The chef holds a plate that could have come from a five star restaurant, and smiles widely.
and PLUNK... there goes four dollars. I really like so and so... and ten dollar meals, wow... that sounds pretty good.
Except, ten dollars is a LOT of money for one dinner. Think about it, ten dollars a day on dinner alone is up to three hundred and ten dollars a month on JUST dinner. That doesn't include snacks, drinks, or well, other meals. We average a hundred dollars a week in groceries, with the biggest bill coming in once a month around a hundred and twenty dollars, when I normally need all the dry goods. Ten dollars a night would DOUBLE my budget.
And that's not the biggest downfall to the ten dollar myth. NONE of those recipes ACTUALLY COST ten dollars. You'll see things like, 1 T of tomato paste, .12. 1 T fresh minced ginger, .05. Seriously? I can't buy a nickel's worth of ginger, or one tablespoon of tomato paste. If the ingredients aren't something you are actually going to use, you've just spent a dollar on tomato paste and at least that on a chunk of ginger.
You can tell these people don't deal with a tight budget often (or ever).
Here's a budget saving SET of meals... for much less than ten dollars.
Start with the flavor base.
What's in your fridge...Do you have a couple of slices of bacon, thick cut ham?
Great, dice that. (it's optional)
Saute in some olive oil, and drain. You are gonna use a GIANT soup pot to do this. Take the meat out and drain.
While that's going on, take a look around.
Do you have a carrot, some celery, and an onion? any combination there of?
Chop those up, along with a couple of cloves of fresh garlic, if you've got it. Mince them pretty fine, toss them into the pot, with a little bit of the oil from the meat, if using. If not, just heat up some Olive oil, and sweat the veggies.
No fresh veggies? Skip to the next step.
Add 1 quart chicken stock and 1 quart beef broth to the pot. You can use a couple of bullion cubes if you don't have the stock on hand, or if this is a less than flush week financially. (the broth is the most expensive part of the meal if you don't have any on hand, and totals four dollars in my neck of the woods.) Add a large can of kidney beans, rinsed really well and drained. If you are going to really do this on the cheap, get dried beans and follow the directions on the package to soak overnight. I'm up to five dollars and nineteen cents.
If you've got a couple of potatoes, dice them up and add them to the pot. If not, forget about it, no big. Add one large can of crushed tomatoes. ($6.19)If you have a jar of spaghetti sauce and no crushed tomatoes, go ahead and use that. Taste and adjust seasonings. Depending on how cheap you've been thus far, you'll need to be pretty liberal with garlic, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. If you've got fresh onion and garlic in there, just go with the Italian seasoning, and some crushed red pepper. Turn this up and let it simmer for about a half an hour. If you've got a rind from Parmesan cheese, toss it in. These are really lovely for Italian type soups, and can be kept in the freezer until ready to use.
Put a pot of water on to boil, and cook up a half a pound of elbow noodles, ditalini, or another tiny soup pasta. Drain, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Taste the soup base and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Scoop out about a cup of beans and potatoes, and mash with a potato masher into a pulp, and stir back into the soup to thicken. Add the meat bits if using. If you've got some balsamic vinegar, stir a couple of tablespoons in.
Portion noodles into bowls and top with the hot soup. Top each serving with some grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and fresh cracked pepper. You should have eight servings worth of noodles, and about twenty worth of soup...
After your done with dinner, take a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and empty it into the other half of the soup, and store it for lunch or dinner tomorrow. You can make more noodles, or some brown rice to add, and it's likely you will get TWO MORE MEALS out of this pot of soup, which has cost... Ten dollars, if you get everything and make it the most expensive way possible.
I can deal with three dollar dinners.
A celebrity chef displayed prominently on a pricey magazine, with the heading "SAVE YOUR BUDGET! TEN DOLLAR DINNERS! The chef holds a plate that could have come from a five star restaurant, and smiles widely.
and PLUNK... there goes four dollars. I really like so and so... and ten dollar meals, wow... that sounds pretty good.
Except, ten dollars is a LOT of money for one dinner. Think about it, ten dollars a day on dinner alone is up to three hundred and ten dollars a month on JUST dinner. That doesn't include snacks, drinks, or well, other meals. We average a hundred dollars a week in groceries, with the biggest bill coming in once a month around a hundred and twenty dollars, when I normally need all the dry goods. Ten dollars a night would DOUBLE my budget.
And that's not the biggest downfall to the ten dollar myth. NONE of those recipes ACTUALLY COST ten dollars. You'll see things like, 1 T of tomato paste, .12. 1 T fresh minced ginger, .05. Seriously? I can't buy a nickel's worth of ginger, or one tablespoon of tomato paste. If the ingredients aren't something you are actually going to use, you've just spent a dollar on tomato paste and at least that on a chunk of ginger.
You can tell these people don't deal with a tight budget often (or ever).
Here's a budget saving SET of meals... for much less than ten dollars.
Start with the flavor base.
What's in your fridge...Do you have a couple of slices of bacon, thick cut ham?
Great, dice that. (it's optional)
Saute in some olive oil, and drain. You are gonna use a GIANT soup pot to do this. Take the meat out and drain.
While that's going on, take a look around.
Do you have a carrot, some celery, and an onion? any combination there of?
Chop those up, along with a couple of cloves of fresh garlic, if you've got it. Mince them pretty fine, toss them into the pot, with a little bit of the oil from the meat, if using. If not, just heat up some Olive oil, and sweat the veggies.
No fresh veggies? Skip to the next step.
Add 1 quart chicken stock and 1 quart beef broth to the pot. You can use a couple of bullion cubes if you don't have the stock on hand, or if this is a less than flush week financially. (the broth is the most expensive part of the meal if you don't have any on hand, and totals four dollars in my neck of the woods.) Add a large can of kidney beans, rinsed really well and drained. If you are going to really do this on the cheap, get dried beans and follow the directions on the package to soak overnight. I'm up to five dollars and nineteen cents.
If you've got a couple of potatoes, dice them up and add them to the pot. If not, forget about it, no big. Add one large can of crushed tomatoes. ($6.19)If you have a jar of spaghetti sauce and no crushed tomatoes, go ahead and use that. Taste and adjust seasonings. Depending on how cheap you've been thus far, you'll need to be pretty liberal with garlic, onion powder, and Italian seasoning. If you've got fresh onion and garlic in there, just go with the Italian seasoning, and some crushed red pepper. Turn this up and let it simmer for about a half an hour. If you've got a rind from Parmesan cheese, toss it in. These are really lovely for Italian type soups, and can be kept in the freezer until ready to use.
Put a pot of water on to boil, and cook up a half a pound of elbow noodles, ditalini, or another tiny soup pasta. Drain, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Taste the soup base and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Scoop out about a cup of beans and potatoes, and mash with a potato masher into a pulp, and stir back into the soup to thicken. Add the meat bits if using. If you've got some balsamic vinegar, stir a couple of tablespoons in.
Portion noodles into bowls and top with the hot soup. Top each serving with some grated Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and fresh cracked pepper. You should have eight servings worth of noodles, and about twenty worth of soup...
After your done with dinner, take a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, and empty it into the other half of the soup, and store it for lunch or dinner tomorrow. You can make more noodles, or some brown rice to add, and it's likely you will get TWO MORE MEALS out of this pot of soup, which has cost... Ten dollars, if you get everything and make it the most expensive way possible.
I can deal with three dollar dinners.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
It's a universal truth.
When you want them to sleep, they remain wide awake, loud, and needing randomly ridiculous amounts of attention.
Granted, I was awake for a whopping seven hours yesterday, and I spent five of those at work, and the other two nursing little monster number three. Evidently, not enough.
She's determined to MAKE ME PAY for my absentee parenting. I'm not allowed to use the restroom. I'm not allowed to wash the dishes, that have multiplied at an alarming rate and are threatening to take over my next door neighbor's back yard. One day of momma being lazy equals roughly seventeen hours worth of back logged dishes. Her eyes, rimmed with red from sheer exhaustion, are defiant. She's staring at me from a precarious perch that involves one leg thrown haphazardly off the side of my wobbly green rocker, the other foot balance precariously on tiny toes while rocking back and forth as hard as she can.
She's squeaking at me like an angry chipmunk.
I've taken up the demeanor of one negotiating the lives of several dozen hostages.
If I approach her too quickly, surely she will tip forward, and break not only her head, but also the still unmopped floor.
Well, that game got boring. With lightning quickness and ignoring the laws of gravity, she has literally FLOWN across the room with a loud squeal...and ....there she goes with my blackberry. All I want to do is get a work out in and take a shower to get ready for tonight's open house, but I've had enough alone time according to MissAngelBaby.
She was even kind enough to let me know by breaking TWO Corell dishes in five minutes. The ones that are supposed to be unbreakable. The laws of science mean nothing to an angry toddler.
Yes, my dear child, I'm sorry I went to work last night. And I'm doubly sorry I took my sniffly, exhausted, cold infested rear to bed yesterday afternoon when I should have been baby worshipping.
Can I please keep the rest of my china?
Granted, I was awake for a whopping seven hours yesterday, and I spent five of those at work, and the other two nursing little monster number three. Evidently, not enough.
She's determined to MAKE ME PAY for my absentee parenting. I'm not allowed to use the restroom. I'm not allowed to wash the dishes, that have multiplied at an alarming rate and are threatening to take over my next door neighbor's back yard. One day of momma being lazy equals roughly seventeen hours worth of back logged dishes. Her eyes, rimmed with red from sheer exhaustion, are defiant. She's staring at me from a precarious perch that involves one leg thrown haphazardly off the side of my wobbly green rocker, the other foot balance precariously on tiny toes while rocking back and forth as hard as she can.
She's squeaking at me like an angry chipmunk.
I've taken up the demeanor of one negotiating the lives of several dozen hostages.
If I approach her too quickly, surely she will tip forward, and break not only her head, but also the still unmopped floor.
Well, that game got boring. With lightning quickness and ignoring the laws of gravity, she has literally FLOWN across the room with a loud squeal...and ....there she goes with my blackberry. All I want to do is get a work out in and take a shower to get ready for tonight's open house, but I've had enough alone time according to MissAngelBaby.
She was even kind enough to let me know by breaking TWO Corell dishes in five minutes. The ones that are supposed to be unbreakable. The laws of science mean nothing to an angry toddler.
Yes, my dear child, I'm sorry I went to work last night. And I'm doubly sorry I took my sniffly, exhausted, cold infested rear to bed yesterday afternoon when I should have been baby worshipping.
Can I please keep the rest of my china?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
ah, the perils (and perks!!!) of blogging!
So...my email account got hacked this week. I'm sure it was the result of my forages into the world of "free stuff". Think about it, FREEEE STUFFFFF! Every shampoo sample saves me real money. Each little tube of lotion is one more dose I don't have to buy. I faithfully fill out the surveys they send me, of course, because I want them to continue to send me that FREEEEE STUFFFFF. Love it.
So, this week I learned about posting negativity online, without back up or proof. I had signed up for a four week review of neutragena sunscreen here and authorized use of my email to share. The next day, my dear father asks me what he should do with the five dozen viagra he ordered from the site I sent him. His wasn't the worst. Throughout the day, many of my male friends assured me that they didn't have a problem that required said drug, and a couple insuated that they'd prove it. It's all in good fun.
Ugh. No more email sharing.
Well, Matt from Tidal Labs was nice enough to email me and let me know the spammage wasn't them. *hangs head. That's what I get for ASS-uming. I still can't wait to review my sunscreen sample!
I also learned NOT to give my email address out to perfect strangers promising coupons. I did this on the site www.retailmenot.com. Someone posted that they would send you a link to a site that would give you two free boxes of a certain coffee for a certain maker I received for a certain holiday. After I read the offer he sent me, I realized it wouldn't work for me, so I just responded "thankyou" and moved on with my life. Evidently he didn't.
I received four emails from this individual. FOUR. The last one after he called the company AND RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT MY ACCOUNT from them. This is creeping me out beyond belief. I will post more information gladly, once the company responds to my email. WAAAAAYYYYYY TOO CREEPY.
So, my lessons learned this week may not be monetary in value, but they are treasured nonetheless.
Tomorrow we resume packing after box pick-up. For now, free stuff a-hunting and off to work I go!
So, this week I learned about posting negativity online, without back up or proof. I had signed up for a four week review of neutragena sunscreen here and authorized use of my email to share. The next day, my dear father asks me what he should do with the five dozen viagra he ordered from the site I sent him. His wasn't the worst. Throughout the day, many of my male friends assured me that they didn't have a problem that required said drug, and a couple insuated that they'd prove it. It's all in good fun.
Ugh. No more email sharing.
Well, Matt from Tidal Labs was nice enough to email me and let me know the spammage wasn't them. *hangs head. That's what I get for ASS-uming. I still can't wait to review my sunscreen sample!
I also learned NOT to give my email address out to perfect strangers promising coupons. I did this on the site www.retailmenot.com. Someone posted that they would send you a link to a site that would give you two free boxes of a certain coffee for a certain maker I received for a certain holiday. After I read the offer he sent me, I realized it wouldn't work for me, so I just responded "thankyou" and moved on with my life. Evidently he didn't.
I received four emails from this individual. FOUR. The last one after he called the company AND RECEIVED INFORMATION ABOUT MY ACCOUNT from them. This is creeping me out beyond belief. I will post more information gladly, once the company responds to my email. WAAAAAYYYYYY TOO CREEPY.
So, my lessons learned this week may not be monetary in value, but they are treasured nonetheless.
Tomorrow we resume packing after box pick-up. For now, free stuff a-hunting and off to work I go!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Found Money! Don't forget to request a refund for overpayed utilities!
Last night I had the strangest dream. I dreamt the "other" from Lost season 1 turned into a vampire, got invited into our home, and turned my nephew and my friends son into vampires. We locked ourselves in an upstairs room, and I lowered my wild child first to the ground. She took off, of course. I jumped out the window, landed on my feet, and ran after her. Having caught up to her, it appears that her hair has been cut off, and she has a large bite mark on her neck. I realize her hair is simply tied back, and am utterly relieved, and unconcerned with the large bruise on her neck, which isn't bleeding.
My good friends over at http://www.cafemom.com/ seem to think it means that I'm nervous about our upcoming move, but feel that I can handle it. I like that.
Yesterday, it occurred to me that we needed to order propane for our stove. You can only purchase it a full tank at a time, and it takes me 4-5 months to use it up. The move is 85 days away. Either I can bake like mad, or lose about $70 in propane, or try to stretch what I have an extra, say, 24 days. I spent the majority of the afternoon pondering solutions, since my gas company was closed.
I called first thing this morning-and was told to go ahead and fill it, all I have to do is request a refund. This is GREAT news, since I LOVE to bake our bread, but I may just try to stretch it out anyway, since it's hot out and requesting a refund is one more thing I'll have to remember to do in the post move mess. However, the lady at the gas company said many people NEVER leave an address to forward a refund check to, so I'm counting this check as a drop in the bucket toward my goal of making money.
Score one for the cheap girl.
Did you remember to check for overpaid utilities on your last move?
My good friends over at http://www.cafemom.com/ seem to think it means that I'm nervous about our upcoming move, but feel that I can handle it. I like that.
Yesterday, it occurred to me that we needed to order propane for our stove. You can only purchase it a full tank at a time, and it takes me 4-5 months to use it up. The move is 85 days away. Either I can bake like mad, or lose about $70 in propane, or try to stretch what I have an extra, say, 24 days. I spent the majority of the afternoon pondering solutions, since my gas company was closed.
I called first thing this morning-and was told to go ahead and fill it, all I have to do is request a refund. This is GREAT news, since I LOVE to bake our bread, but I may just try to stretch it out anyway, since it's hot out and requesting a refund is one more thing I'll have to remember to do in the post move mess. However, the lady at the gas company said many people NEVER leave an address to forward a refund check to, so I'm counting this check as a drop in the bucket toward my goal of making money.
Score one for the cheap girl.
Did you remember to check for overpaid utilities on your last move?
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Day 2: One box and one bag from each room per day.
Let me tell you, I have been a ball of fire today! I'm not even through my second cup of coffee, and I've gotten a whole SLEW of moving goodness accomplished. Yippee for me! My goal is to pack up one box for a yard sale, and one bag for either trash, freecycle, or donation per room per day. I've completed the goal for two rooms already! Of course, my goal to make money is being severely compromised by the fact that my moving budget is currently -$150. I'm hoping to change that by adding some goodies to craigslist later today. We have a nice brass coat rack I can't see moving, a baby carrier Miss AngelBaby outgrew three minutes after she was born, and an excersaucer that can go on. I'm betting these will fetch far more dough on Craigslist than at the yard sale, so I've got a busy day ahead of me! Wish me money!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Day 1: The Great Adventure Begins
Over the weekend, we made a momentous decision. We are moving! Into our first HOUSE!!!!! I have three months with which to clean up, consolidate, and otherwise compress our lives. We have a lot of crap. Ridiculous amounts. My affinity for the end caps at Target coupled with an inability to resist a great deal has lead to my house turning into the Land That Time Forgot. I also HATE to put things in a landfill that can otherwise be used. Freecycle is my friend, of course, but I also HATE to get rid of something, only to have to reacquire it late.
The result? You can't get into the attic of the tiny "3" bedroom apartment, without climbing a stack of perilously placed Christmas gift, boxes of toys, and bags of clothing I haven't worn since 1998. HMMMM.
So, this begins my adventure. I will chronicle the event of my perilous struggle to remove the crap from this home before it sidles it's way into the next home. While being as ecofriendly (read: frugal) as possible.
I have a list. I have a plan. I hope, at the end of this, I will have managed to make money off this move. Is it impossible? No, I think not.
Do you have any advice for me?
The result? You can't get into the attic of the tiny "3" bedroom apartment, without climbing a stack of perilously placed Christmas gift, boxes of toys, and bags of clothing I haven't worn since 1998. HMMMM.
So, this begins my adventure. I will chronicle the event of my perilous struggle to remove the crap from this home before it sidles it's way into the next home. While being as ecofriendly (read: frugal) as possible.
I have a list. I have a plan. I hope, at the end of this, I will have managed to make money off this move. Is it impossible? No, I think not.
Do you have any advice for me?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)