The Frugal Beast

Ya, Ok, I admitt it. I am a reluctant frugalista- I would MUCH rather have a billion dollars to spend on whatever it is that I want. The fact is- I don't - and maybe if I did I still wouldn't be happy because I wouldn't know how to manage it. Maybe that's why we're struggling right now, to help prepare me for the blessing that are on their way. To prove that I can work with very little so that I can better manage it when we become better off... I don't know.

Anyway- my inner comedian is at work- and it makes these LEAN times a little more bearable.

For Example:

I wanted to buy Lincoln a Bumbo chair- but I knew he'll be sitting up on his own before too long, and I don't have an extra $40 sitting around. (also, don't want to store the darn thing when he's too big for it ...see hoarders post) So this is what I came up with instead.

And when you put a blanket in it it's even MORE comfy for him... This is the bucket we store Hudson's toy cars in, but when its not being used Oh Boy! What fun!

Also- I thought it would be nice to have one of those double stroller things where you have the one child sitting in front and a chair for the older child in the back- but this works equally well...



Ok- I know, it's not the intended use, but Hudson got tired on the way home from a walk and this seemed like the easiest solution... Not winning mommy of the year with this one, huh?


Anyhow- I did something that was pretty hard for me to do, but I am proud of myself for it. This July I bought season 4 of Psych at Wal Mart. I was SOOO excited, but when I brought it home I had buyers remorse. I didn't really NEED it- I shouldn't have spent money on it.... so I left it shrink wrapped. Well, things are pretty tight here, like I mentioned, and I sucked it up and returned the dvds to wal mart. I used that $40 to buy Hudson a new coat and to make a payment to my hospital bill. It wasn't easy, but I am proud that I could make a responsible decsion. And now, someone can buy me Psych season 4 as a gift later since I now no longer have it... hint hint. ;)

Look at me go! Maybe I can do this after all!

Sloppy Jofus

(This Beef Flavored TVP is found at http://www.shelfreliance.com/beef-tvp-1.html) It's the best price I have seen online- I got mine in Canada for about $15 a can)

I used TVP to make sloppy Joes last night- For those of you who don't know, my husband is a wonder bread and hot dog type guy. He likes easy cheap foods, but he wants them to be familiar. He has expressed less than enthusiasm about my using TVP in the past (TVP, incidentally, is Texturized Vegetable Protein, dehydrated soy basically) but what he doesn't know won't hurt him right? He doesn't even notice when I use it in chili or with taco meat as a filler... Well, my plan was to reconstitute the TVP before he got home so he didn't notice. It's actually "Beef flavored" so it tastes a little more like real meat. Texture-wise it's a little softer, but I know there is a noticeable difference. I was also planning to use 1/2 lb ground beef and 1/2 pound TVP to better disguise it.

But that's not what happened.

I had a pretty stressful day yesterday and was not in a good mood when Jason came home from his class. (I was actually still crying about cat feces to Erica- see previous post) so I was running a bit late and had to hurry with dinner if I wanted to eat before work. So I was just putting the TVP into the skillet with the tomato paste water and seasoning when Jason walked in. He looked at it for a second, but Bless that Man, he said nothing.

I think if he had said something, he knows he's get a Pyrex bowl thrown at his head- so I served it up and Hudson complained that it didn't taste like meat- I asked what it tasted like and he said water. I wonder if reconstituting it in Beef Broth would improve the flavor? hmmm...

Jason again said nothing. He ate two sloppy- jofus without complaint. If he's hungry he'll eat it. Of course I wasn't like "Oh honey look! I am using our TVP food storage- what do you think?"

and if he barfed later I am unaware because I went right to work. :)

Thank Goodness for WIC

I am on the WIC program- and I am sad because Hudson will be five next month, so we won't get benefits for him any more, but WIC has been such a blessing in our home because otherwise we couldn't afford to eat as well as we do.

Now that I am learning to use WIC to it's fullest, I am really beginning to see how much food we can eat with it!
I am practicing being a more frugal cook, and using up all that I can without wasting. So tomorrow I am boiling eggs for egg salad sandwhiches and using the eggs and cheese and some fresh veggies for an omlet, and of course Hudson loves his PB&J and milk and fruit. I got the stuff for a really nice Salad and I can use left over taco meat or chicken to make that a meal. So- you know I can really make my food stretch- and I am even starting to enjoy this meal prep stuff a little more- (remember when just a few posts ago I said I hated it.)

In other news- I watched Hoarders today for the first time and it upset and aggitated me for the entire night. I mean those of you who have seen my house - I am a little cluttered- I am NOT a hoarder (of course the people on the show say that too) at least not yet- but what I found the most disturbing is that I related to the things they said ie: I MIGHT need that, nothing has a place to go, I have always been cluttered, I feel guilty thowing stuff away... etc etc... YIKES! I was so upset about it I cried to my sister about cat feces for a while... I don't even have a cat.
Well, after watching a few gut wrenching episodes (literally) I got of my fanny and organized like mad... so maybe having OCD won't help. I will just watch an episode of Hoarders every morning and that will motivate me to clean the house for the day... I will then listen to a soothing church talk to help me feel better about myself.

Cooking from Food Storage-

There were two really good episodes of Living Essentials on BYUtv.com about cooking from food storage.
It looks cheaper than buying those processed foods and it's a good way to go through and rotate your food storage. Of course rotating means replenishing what you use, which I haven't been able to do for a while. Plus- we are anticipating a move sometime in the future and so we'll replenish then. Right now our budget is really tight, so we have to do what we can.

anyway, here are the episodes I liked.
http://byutv.org/watch/597-133#ooid=NhNTFqMToNcu1k5nNMqeKaePJl-Wl7KQ

http://www.byutv.org/watch/597-522

Date Night

Tonight is Date Night! It's been a really long time since Jason and I could go out some place alone. I am excited to spend some time with him. I want to try something creative- and since I am fairly sure he doesn't read this blog- I would share- but since I am not sure how well recepted the plan will be I will wait until after tonight.

I found this site- and it really inspires me-
http://loveactually-blog-ideas.blogspot.com/

It is full of inexpensive and creative date ideas- most of which I am sure Jason would scoff at- but I really enjoy the site anyway.
I am going to give Jason 52 weeks of date night for a christmas gift or a date of the month club. Please put ideas in the comment section!!!

The Biggest Loser

Last season was the first time I had watched the biggest loser- and a new season has begun. So I don't know- like I have a few extra pounds I'm hefting around- you know- postpardum and everything. But I know as Lincoln grows a little bigger, I should be growing a little smaller. It's only baby weight when I've got a baby around, you know. When they're teenagers I won't be able to use the excuse anymore.

So I am going to do it with them. (nothing like that motivation to help me along. I can't sit and eat a hamburger while watching.)

So I am going to start eating alittle better again, and exercising more. Nothing big like you see on TV- I can't afford to join a gym or anything, but I am going to go for it! :)

Also- I really like Burgandy Keel (purple team) I think she's got a great attitude and I relate to her. I hope she does really well in the competition. She is from Utah- I wonder if she is LDS- does anyone know?

7 days

I have to work seven days in a row this week- yarg. Tonight is day 6. I get wednesday off and then have to work thursday- then get Friday and Saturday off. YAY!

But I am pretty tired.

In other news- I already have a puppy and a tigger outfit for Lincoln, so maybe I will just use that for Halloween. I really want to make him a little fried egg costume, and make the stroller a frying pan.

I don't know. I am not fully awake yet.

Stand up- stand out- comedy

I've decided I am a closet stand up comic. I love telling a good story, even if it's not entirely true, and getting a laugh. I love being laughed at- and it happens to happen fairly often.
I have decided my job at Wal Mart (yes, that's where I work and I am actually enjoying it thanks,) is a perfect place to test some of my jokes.

I've got coworkers laughing and customers laughing, and so I think that I may be on to something.

But who wants to see a Mormon stand-up comedian. No, my jokes aren't about being Mormon, but they're all clean, usually not at all racy.

I have decided to start a joke and story journal- to just work on my material.
Maybe someday I'll go out on a limb and try it for an audience that has actually paid to see me. :)
But maybe not. Who knows?

Hand-made halloween

I want to make my kids' costumes this year. I am now a (kind of) stay at home mom- and could probably find time to do it. Lincoln won't know or care about what his costume is, but Hudson will want to pick (which means I could be in trouble)-

The cheap costumes are in the $15 range- and the really nice ones are all the way to $55. I have some surplus fabric, and could find fabric for cheaper than $15 if I need to, I am sure.

I also want to make a stroller cover for Lincoln's ride- like these by MapleTree2000 on etsy.

She has several different types, and I would gladly pay $55 for it, if I had $55. But as I am pretty much broke- I will have to somehow pay homage by finding way to make one myself.

Any ideas on what Lincoln could be? Maybe a worm in an apple? A skunk in a log? A hermit crab in a shell? Give me Ideas!

I will need to get started here pretty soon if I hope to be done by the end of the month.

Food Nanny Rescues 3 Families

Cooking Lessons part II

Thanks for the comments with tips and tricks. We had a rice cooker at one time, but it tended to leave 2nd degree burns in its wake. (Think "the cornballer" for all those Arrested Development fans out there. Best tv show ever, in my humble opinion)

I guess microwaving is an easy way to make rice too.

I think I will have to check out this "food nanny" as all of her recipes seem do-able. I am a beginner cook, but it seems when I type this into a search engine I get back "how to boil water". I have the basic skills, but not the knack- you know- the creativity or gumption to actually execute the meal.
I hate when you pick up a cook book or a magazine and see a recipe and think "wow that looks great" only to feel overwhelmed by the ingredients. Example. This one calls for white wine. (which I know, cooks out, whatever, but I am not going to buy a bottle of wine to use for one dish- and I don't feel 100% right about it anyway) or another recipe calls for Tarragon. I know this is a spice. I don't know what it tastes like- I never use it in other recipes, and it sounds like it's going to cost a lot for the 1/4 teaspoon that I'm going to need.

Boo hoo, right? Maybe I should just stick to the processed stuff for a little while. Wean myself and my family off of it. www.kraftfoods.com is a website that I really like for making "accessible" meals for people like me. 5 meals in 1 bag, is good too, because it plans everything for you. Ok, so if I want to cut the prices and the calories I can substitute name brands with generic and I can choose lower calorie options when available...

Tonight, I am making home fries (with real potatoes) :) I don't know what else will go with it, but hey it's a start.

Cooking Lessons

I'm back! I took a break from blogging after having my baby, Lincoln, who is adorable- and my husband was in California for an internship. I found that being a single parent for the summer took up most of my free time.

Ok- I am back. It feels like I am always working on one more thing- I always have somewhere to improve and it can be down right discouraging. I find that if I want to improve my finaces, I need to improve my organization, and if I want to improve my organization I need to better control my time management. I find that if I want to save money, I must be able to cook for my family instead of purchasing unhealthy and expensive processed foods, but it occured to me the other day as I was scalding a pot of rice on the stove. That I don't know how to cook.

I don't really enjoy cooking. I find that it requires planning (something I am not good at) and usually requires washing many dishes afterward...

BUT- I have decided to cook more, buy less frozen or processed foods, and save some money.

I have no idea where to start. I think I will cruise the internet and let you know what I can find for beginner cooks. :)