Didn't get in my crock pot post this week. Boo on me.
Hopefully I'll get one (maybe two) in next week.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Tales of Negotiation
My husband and I recently decided to do a few home improvements to make way for baby! We needed a new storage shed to keep all of the odds and ends Jackson is ultimately going to outgrow (that we want to hold on to just in case we decide to have another munchkin). Since we're starting to outgrow things now and we are running out of indoor storage space, this jumped up on our priority list.
I went and got a quote on a new shed. It was kind of expensive, but not as bad as I thought.
While we were brainstorming, we thought "hey - we really need a new fence too." Ours is very old and has old wood and nails and it screams TETANUS.
I called up the place that quoted us for the shed. I explained what we wanted and they sent out an estimator. The guy told us how much the fence would cost.
It was actually MORE than I thought (I had no idea how much a fence would cost).
Fast forward - I called and told them we were thinking about doing both and wanted to see if, in doing both, they'd give us a price break.
Several conversations later, basically for a little more than the price of the fence we're also getting the shed. And they are going to tear out our existing stuff and haul away the old.
That's going to save us about $1000.
I went and got a quote on a new shed. It was kind of expensive, but not as bad as I thought.
While we were brainstorming, we thought "hey - we really need a new fence too." Ours is very old and has old wood and nails and it screams TETANUS.
I called up the place that quoted us for the shed. I explained what we wanted and they sent out an estimator. The guy told us how much the fence would cost.
It was actually MORE than I thought (I had no idea how much a fence would cost).
Fast forward - I called and told them we were thinking about doing both and wanted to see if, in doing both, they'd give us a price break.
Several conversations later, basically for a little more than the price of the fence we're also getting the shed. And they are going to tear out our existing stuff and haul away the old.
That's going to save us about $1000.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Vera Bradley Deal Alert
The Vera Bradley Stephanie bag is on sale today for only $29! I own this style bag already and use it as my every day purse. Only when I bought it, it was "on sale" for $45. It is very roomy and has lots of pockets. I am tempted to buy a new one at this price. If you are looking for a new bag, this one is cute and $29 is an excellent price for this. Now if only Vera Bradley came out with more free shipping coupon codes...
Crock Pot Monday: Grape Jelly Meatballs
Grape jelly meatballs are an excellent snack, appetizer, etc. that you can prepare in your crock pot. They are easy to do. Make them healthier by using turkey meatballs - no one will know the difference.
1 package frozen prepared meatballs (usually a package has around 60).
1 bottle Heinz 57 chili sauce
1 jar grape jelly
Heat grape jelly and sauce in crock pot first and stir every few minutes till the jelly is more liquidy.
Once it is liquidy, add frozen meatballs and cook on low for 4 hours.
I also usually keep an extra bag of meatballs handy because I can usually add more to the sauce afterwards for a second round.
1 package frozen prepared meatballs (usually a package has around 60).
1 bottle Heinz 57 chili sauce
1 jar grape jelly
Heat grape jelly and sauce in crock pot first and stir every few minutes till the jelly is more liquidy.
Once it is liquidy, add frozen meatballs and cook on low for 4 hours.
I also usually keep an extra bag of meatballs handy because I can usually add more to the sauce afterwards for a second round.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday Tales: What NOT to do when you want to save money on photos
This is just a short story about how I thought I was going to get a good deal and ended up dropping more dough than I wanted to:
I had an appointment to go to Sears on Saturday. I had received a coupon in the mail for a portrait package there for $4.99. I thought "gee - that's a lot of photos and I'm SURE I can just get one pose...I mean, Jackson doesn't like the camera anyway so I'll probably only get one really good one."
What a joke.
I went in there with Jackson and he proceeded to take the best pictures ever. Which meant I ended up walking out of there with $150 less than I had before.
I had an appointment to go to Sears on Saturday. I had received a coupon in the mail for a portrait package there for $4.99. I thought "gee - that's a lot of photos and I'm SURE I can just get one pose...I mean, Jackson doesn't like the camera anyway so I'll probably only get one really good one."
What a joke.
I went in there with Jackson and he proceeded to take the best pictures ever. Which meant I ended up walking out of there with $150 less than I had before.
Moral of the story:
When it comes to photos of your kids, be prepared to be suckered into spending more than you think...
Monday, March 29, 2010
Crock Pot Monday: Coke BBQ
This could be one of the easiest recipes that ever existed. Two ingredients. No real prep. But this recipe yields tender, fall off the roast BBQ.
Ingredients:
1/2 boston butt. (if you have a big enough crock pot you can do the whole thing, but I like the smaller portion of using half of the full "butt")
1 20 oz coca-cola
1. Put the butt in the crock pot.
2. Pour the coca-cola over
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
That's it! Once it is done, you pull out the meat and gently pull apart with a fork. Serve by itself or on a bun, with bbq sauce if you'd like. Delicious!
Ingredients:
1/2 boston butt. (if you have a big enough crock pot you can do the whole thing, but I like the smaller portion of using half of the full "butt")
1 20 oz coca-cola
1. Put the butt in the crock pot.
2. Pour the coca-cola over
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
That's it! Once it is done, you pull out the meat and gently pull apart with a fork. Serve by itself or on a bun, with bbq sauce if you'd like. Delicious!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
PYOL: Pack Your Own Lunch
I'm going to share/give this advice right now, however I'll be the first to admit that I don't always follow my own advice.
This might sound like a no-brainer, but if you work out of home and in an office, packing your own lunch can be an excellent way to save money. And, as a bonus, packing your own lunch can also save you extra calories too!
For example: Let's just say that you go with the cheapest value meal on McDonalds menu each day - the double cheeseburger meal for $2.99 (and for this example, I'm going to avoid calculating any taxes or ahem, biggie sizing anything).
$2.99 x 5 days a week x 52 weeks per year = $777.40
Or you can get a can of Campbell's Select Harvet soup each day for $1.50 per can.
$1.50 x 5 days a week x 52 weeks per year = $390
That's a $387.40 savings per year at least! Often when we eat out, we splurge and end up spending even more. I never get the $2.99 meal - I often opt for a salad, bottled water, and then top it off with an iced coffee and spend upwards of $10 for lunch!
But of course I know that people avoid bringing their own lunch because it isn't as fun. So how do you make it fun?
1. First and foremost - grab a lunch buddy! If you can find someone else who is interested in dining in with you, it makes it easier. Half of eating out tends to be the socialization. Why not get someone else involved with you to bring lunch in? You can even take turns bringing the lunch and make it fun!
2. Bring left overs. When canned soup and tv dinners don't cut it, bring in leftovers from the night before.
3. It's all in the presentation. Eating leftovers or tv dinners or soup out of the boring packaging can be depressing. Grab a pretty plate that you like and keep it in the office. Serve your food on it daily to make your food seem more posh.
4. Don't eat in your work position. If you have some place in your office to go to get away for a moment to eat - this would be optimal. However, even if you can't, try to turn to a different position or angle from your normal work setting. If you normally sit directly in front of your computer (like I do), turn to the side. It won't feel as monotonous.
5. Have back up plans. I like to keep a small stock of non-perishable options in my desk drawer (various soups, ramen noodles, etc.) so that if I'm not feeling what I brought in that day, I have some options. It's also great for the days where I forget to prepare.
This might sound like a no-brainer, but if you work out of home and in an office, packing your own lunch can be an excellent way to save money. And, as a bonus, packing your own lunch can also save you extra calories too!
For example: Let's just say that you go with the cheapest value meal on McDonalds menu each day - the double cheeseburger meal for $2.99 (and for this example, I'm going to avoid calculating any taxes or ahem, biggie sizing anything).
$2.99 x 5 days a week x 52 weeks per year = $777.40
Or you can get a can of Campbell's Select Harvet soup each day for $1.50 per can.
$1.50 x 5 days a week x 52 weeks per year = $390
That's a $387.40 savings per year at least! Often when we eat out, we splurge and end up spending even more. I never get the $2.99 meal - I often opt for a salad, bottled water, and then top it off with an iced coffee and spend upwards of $10 for lunch!
But of course I know that people avoid bringing their own lunch because it isn't as fun. So how do you make it fun?
1. First and foremost - grab a lunch buddy! If you can find someone else who is interested in dining in with you, it makes it easier. Half of eating out tends to be the socialization. Why not get someone else involved with you to bring lunch in? You can even take turns bringing the lunch and make it fun!
2. Bring left overs. When canned soup and tv dinners don't cut it, bring in leftovers from the night before.
3. It's all in the presentation. Eating leftovers or tv dinners or soup out of the boring packaging can be depressing. Grab a pretty plate that you like and keep it in the office. Serve your food on it daily to make your food seem more posh.
4. Don't eat in your work position. If you have some place in your office to go to get away for a moment to eat - this would be optimal. However, even if you can't, try to turn to a different position or angle from your normal work setting. If you normally sit directly in front of your computer (like I do), turn to the side. It won't feel as monotonous.
5. Have back up plans. I like to keep a small stock of non-perishable options in my desk drawer (various soups, ramen noodles, etc.) so that if I'm not feeling what I brought in that day, I have some options. It's also great for the days where I forget to prepare.
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