Fantastically Frugal

With the house finally (on its way) to being organized, it is time to get back into the swing of things.  The easiest way to save money at the grocery store is to come up with a meal plan…and stick with it.

This has allowed me to buy better quality foods, even though they might be more expensive.  I go through what I have already and plan meals that are simple to put together.  On days I will not be home, I find items I can prepare early, or throw into the Crockpot before I leave.

I do not plan lunches, snacks or breakfasts.  I buy whatever cookie is on sale, and I always have the items to make some quick items (scones, cookies, bread ECT.).  A stocked pantry is also another key to saving money.  Buy when the items are on sale and stock up, this way  you have what you need at all times and you can eliminate the “quick trip”, which you know if never really a quick trip.  It also saves me $2-$5 per item.  I have noticed items go on sale every 2-3 months in a rotation, I buy what we use a lot of (flour, sugar, honey) when they are on sale then I have enough to last me through.  This is also important as many of the items I like do not have coupons available, thus in order to save on them creativity is key (using stoe coupons off total purchases for example)

Our meals for the week (I have this posted on my fridge)

Monday - Best chicken Ever, Zucchini and Potato Bake.

Tuesday - Beef Stroganoff, Salad, Breadsticks

Wednesday - Rustic Lemon and Onion Chicken, Perfect Potatoes

Thursday - Cabbage rolls, Mashed Potatoes

Friday - Chicken tortilla soup, cornbread

Saturday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, biscuits

Sunday - BLT’s, macaroni salad 

Yes, we are having potatoes a lot, this is typically not the case, it just seems those where the recipes I was gravating towards this week.

WOW, it has been a while since I have been on.  The holidays kept us busy visiting with friends and family, it just seemed to fly by.  Now, with the New Year here, I feel determined to get my house back.

I admit, I am an organizing fool.  I get giddy over label makers and new bins.  After Sassy was born, my house is a constant battle for me, I just cannot seem to keep up with both kids and cleaning, so back to the basics I go.   I have come up with a list (another thing I love to do) and by breaking everything up I am hoping I can get my house back into tip top shape by the end of this month (as then I want to tackle the playroom by building new shelves!)

SO…for this week I want to accomplish 3 projects a day.  I am going to make my new to-do lists and will post them each Sunday!

Monday - Clean all bathrooms, clean master bedroom, and clean kitchen

Tuesday - Clean Bubs room, empty two boxes/suitcases from our trip, sort laundry

Wednesday - Clean Sassy’s room, empty two boxes/suitcases from our trip, meal plans

Thursday - Grocery store, fold and put clothes away from loveseat, empty two boxes/suitcases from trip

Friday - Finish any boxes/suitcases left over, clean family room, Empty Island, fold and put clothes away from chair

Saturday - clean kitchen table, make baby food, fold and put clothes away from table in laundry room

Yes, I know it is winter, and yes I know many people think crocs are ugly.  BUT thinking spring is the only thing that makes winter exciting, especially once the really cold, bitter, gross, nasty weather hits.  Plus, crocs on kids are good.  They can get them on and off themselves, and the closed toe helps them with walking and running and minimized spills.  I learned this from Bubs early intervention specialist and now I cringe every time I see a baby learning to walk in open toed sandals.  Yes, they may be cute, but a huge scrap on the face is not.

Anyways, back to the deal.  The coupon code is MYCOUP20.  I was able to score Mary Janes for Sassy and Caymens for Bubs for the grand total of 21.58.  The Caymens were typically $24.99 and the Mary Janes where typically 19.99–so since the shoes where already on sale, I was able to get over %50.   No shipping means no I will not get them in time for Christmas, but I plan on stashing these into Easter baskets.  Plus the benefit of not having to scour the stores and drag two kids around trying to find them shoes in 2 months (when they bring out the spring stuff, because you know if you do not grab them up right away, you will ever find what you are looking for in June when it is actually needed) is priceless.

I almost got a pair for myself for when I do yardwork…but then I resisted knowing what would be said about me behind my back.

Bear with me,as this shall be my first tutorial.

Bubs is now in preschool and I needed some gifts for the teacher, aids and speech pathologist.  I found a recipe given to me from my grandmother for fudge and declared that would be perfect.

Start with the ingredients.

Add sugar, salt, butter and evaporated milk into a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.

Make sure this is a big saucepan (do not ask how I know this, it was a messy lesson in cooking).

While that is cooking, break up choclate and add to a mixing bowl.

The only thing better than a bowl full of chocolate is a bowl full of chocolate and marshmellow!

Add the thick liquid mixture once is has boiled for 6 minutes.  It should be hot.  Mix this together until everything is melted.

The directions say to spray a 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 jelly-roll pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour the fudge in there.  I do not have this so I used 2 8 by 8 pans.  I lined the pans with wax paper to make it easy to flip them out of the pans and onto a cutting board.

Next you have to let the fudge harden.  I placed in on the counter for a while and then popped it in the fridge to finalize.  Once the fudge has set, flip onto a cutting board and cut off edges.  I place these in a bowl and let Bubs and Hubby snack out of there..it is still good fudge, just not so pretty.

Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Place into baggies or tins.  Aren’t these little name tags adorable?  I want to make my own next year!

Done and ready to pass out!

Million Dollar Fudge

4 1/2 cups sugar

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 (12 ounce) can evaoprated milk

2 cups coursely chopped pecans (I left these out)

1 pint (1 small jar) marshmellow cream

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

12 ounces German’s sweet chocolate

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the sugar, salt, butter and evaporated milk to a boil.  Boil for 6 minutes.  Meanwhile, place the pecans, marshmallow fluff and chocolate in a large bowl.  Pour the boiled syrup over the chocolate mixture.  Beat until the chocolate is all melted. Spray a 15 1/2 by 10 1/2 jelly-roll pan with non-stick cooking spray and pour fudge into pan.  Let harden at room temperature before cutting into 1-inch squares (can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to speed the hardening process)

Before I had Bubs I thought baby wearing was weird.  I mean, in my mind I had carried this baby around for nine months and now someone else could help me out.  After he was born I tried to wear him, as I realized NOTHING would get done at my house unless I could hold him while being productive.  Well, weeks in CICU without much human touch (we could not even hold him for 4 weeks) had left him with sensory issues, and he was very particular about the way we held him, thus the sling was a no go.

Then came baby number 2.  With an active preschooler already at home, I needed to find a way to multitask.  I decided I would wear her right away, and as a matter of fact, I had her in a sling as I ate my first dinner at home, while she slept contently.  I also really liked the benefits which include (From Dr. Sears):

• Mothers’ progesterone (mothering hormone) is increased through physical contact with the infant, leading to a more intimate maternal bond, easier breastfeeding and better care, thus lowering the incidence of postpartum depression.
• Infants who are carried are calmer because all of their primal/survival needs are met. The caregiver can be seen, heard, smelled, touched, tasted, provide feeding and the motion necessary for continuing neural development, gastrointestinal and respiratory health and to establish balance  and muscle ton^e.
• Infants are more organized. Parental rhythms (walking, heartbeat, etc.) have balancing and soothing effects on infants.
• Infants are “humanized” earlier by developing socially. Babies are closer to people and can study facial expressions, learn languages faster and be familiar with body language.
• Independence is established earlier.
• Attachment between child and caregiver is more secure.
• Decreases risk of positional plagiocephaly (“flat head syndrome”) caused by extended time spent in a car seat and by sleeping on the back. Sleeping on the back is recommended to decrease the risk of SIDS. Cranial distortion resulting from non-vehicular time in car seats has shown to be more severe than in children who develop plagiocephaly from back-lying on a mattress.  Concern over plagiocephaly has also led the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend that infants “should spend minimal time in car seats (when not a passenger in a vehicle) or other seating that maintains supine positioning.   None of the baby wearing positions require infants to lie supine while being carried. Infants can even be worn while they sleep, also decreasing sleeping time spent in a supine position.

Now, some baby wearing can be expensive.  I have seen wraps and carriers over $200.  I made my own jersey (stretchy) wrap and will be making my own woven one within the next few weeks (and the tutorial will be posted here) by buying 5 yards of fabric and cutting it is half…I had 2 great wraps to use (which is always good with baby’s and their drool and spit-up)

But now for the main reason of this post…I just saw this video and had to pass it on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU84rDbdu8Q

Sassy is currently sick, and there is nothing worse than a pathetic 4 month old with a stuffy nose. I called my pediatrician and they gave me this great recipe for homemade saline to use on her. I did about 4 drops in each nostril using an old medicine dropper that was never actually used for medication. I waited about 5 minutes and then suctioned with a good old fashioned bulb and she has been clear ever since! Sure beats dragging 2 kids into a store to get some!

1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp of salt

Mix together until salt dissolves.

Every nursing mom knows that newborns and babies eat all the time, and sometimes the baby has to eat when it is just not convenient to find someplace private.  Not all moms (myself included) are comfortable with nursing in public.  There are a few options.  First, the mom can always go into a bathroom…which I will not do under any circumstance.  Secondly, you can throw a blanket over the baby, but blankets can get hot and many times limit your view of the baby.  I opted for the first option and purchased a nursing cover.  Udder Covers is having yet another special, their covers are free for shipping (I believe around $8) with the coupon code “thankyou”.

Now, these covers are thin, and many moms complain about that, but I actually like they they are not thick as this allows the  material  to breath and the baby does not get over heated.  This cover also has a ridged neckline, so you can see the baby easily while nursing.

I purchased one of these about 6 months ago before the baby was born and I have used it quite a bit…I am not debating purchasing another one in a fun print so I can always leave one in the car and would not have to worry about keeping it in my diaper bag all the time!

http://www.uddercovers.com

Another great gift for a new or expecting mom!

This past Saturday I went to the grand opening of Samozrejm, an adorable little shop in Vandalia, OH.  It is truly the only shop in the area for cloth diapers and accessories, and they also carry a HUGE variety of eco-friendly natural parenting products.  It was such a great way to actually see the products before buying (typically I have to order these items on-line).  Although I had Bubs and Sassy with me, I was still able to look around just a bit, and picked up 2 things that I just HAVE to rave about.

First, Bubs picked out his very own reusable snack bag.  I like the idea of the bag as his little hands can hold onto it while eating, unlike many of the containers you see out.  Also, since he is three know, I feel it is important for him to start becoming slightly more independent.  With the snack bag he is able to get it out of the diaper bag on his own to get his own snack while we are out and about…or at home I can leave it at a place he is able to get it himself.

The bag washes out nicely in the sink and I just hang it to dry…this is the one he picked out…

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=3365918&id=121741805403

The second item we bought were crayon rocks.  Now, when she posted them to the site I was skeptical.  I mean, $6.95 for a bag of 16 rocks that kids could color with..it seemed like a rip off.  BUT when we were there, Bubs played with them for a good 5 mins…and in preschooler time, that might as well be an hour!  So I picked up a bag of them.

We got home and Bubs sat at his table and colored for quite a while.  What I noticed is he held these crayons the way an adult would hold a pencil, not with a fist like he usually does.  Samorzejme’s website says that these crayons are designed to strengthen the tripod grip muscles, preparing fingers and hands for handwriting, which I truly believe after seeing them work!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/photo.php?pid=3353407&id=121741805403

Yankee Candle has 2 fabulous coupons out right now…right in time for the Holidays!

Save $10 off your $25 purchase (expires Dec 12th)

http://www.yankeecandle.com/yc/images/retail/email/registrationEmailInStoreOfferCoupons.gif

and

Buy 2 get 2 free

http://www.yankeecandle.com/yc/html/retail/Email_HTML/webCoupon_XF911A1.html

Great idea to give as a gift, or buy and stash away!

Target has a great coupon on their website…$1 off any $1 Up & Up baby wipe or diapers. The prices on these vary but at my target I found the 40 pack of unscented wipes for $1.37. After coupon it came out to $.37. There is a limit to one coupon per transaction, but the offer is good until December 5th, so I printed out a bunch and plan to use them on each of my Target trips. I have heard some stores ave packs for $.97, making them free with coupon! These are great to keep in the car or have a spare in the diaper bag!

You can find the coupon here…

http://sites.target.com/site/en/supertarget/page.jsp?title=coupons_specials&ref=nav_footer_coupons

or you can also print them out at the store at the registry kiosk!