We just got our electric bill for July/August, and we were pleasantly surprised! It was $250. Last year for the same month, our bill was $366. That is a 31.7% savings! And that savings was on top of adding a chest freezer in our garage, so you would think our power bill would have gone UP.
This summer has been just as hot as last summer, so what did we change?
1. We had our AC units serviced in June. We have been in the house for 6 years and didn't have the freon checked until this year. We have learned our lesson. One unit was down 2 pounds, the other was down 2.5 pounds of freon. Because of that, our units ran all the time and the house never seemed to cool off. It feels completely different now.
2. In April, we were hit with the craziest hail storm I could have ever imagined. We had to get a new roof and 2 sides of the house replaced. Since we needed the new roof, we lightened it 2 shades from black to grey. There are mixed reviews on the effects of lightening your roof, but I have read where it can reduce your power bill by 20% in some climates.
3. We don't watch television. Last year the girls watched it for a couple of hours a day while I was cleaning house and making phone calls. This year we have left the television sets unplugged.
4. We unplugged appliances that aren't being used. I rarely use the docking station and monitor on my desk, so I just unplugged them. I also unplug cellphone chargers when I get a chance. Phantom power can add up!
We are strongly considering adding a powered attic ventilation fan next year. It would draw hot air out of the attic and help control the heat coming into the house from the attic.
What are some things you have done to reduce your energy consumption?
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Grilled Ahi Tuna Steaks and Veggies
I tried this for the first time tonight and it was DELICIOUS! It took about 30 minutes to do everything, so it was quick and super easy.
I bought a bag of Ahi Tuna at Aldi for less than $4. It had 3 steaks in it, so it was perfect for my little family of 4. The zucchini and squash came from my mom's garden. This meal for 4 cost us about $4, but it tasted like we paid a fortune for it at a restaurant.
1. Cut your squash and/or zucchini in slices lengthwise (so they won't fall between the grill grates).
2. Marinate the tuna steaks and veggies in this for 20 minutes in the fridge while the grill is heating: lemon juice, soy sauce, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1/4 cup of each, with a little more lemon juice? I don't measure anything...) plus salt, pepper and a lot of garlic (powder or minced). Don't marinate it too long - fish doesn't need to marinate more than 20 minutes or so or the marinade will overpower it.
3. Preheat your grill to the hottest setting. When it's hot, oil the grates so the fish won't stick.
4. Cook your veggies for 5 minutes, then flip them. Leave them on while you cook the fish.
5. Cook the fish for about 2 minutes on each side.
See how easy it is? ENJOY!
I bought a bag of Ahi Tuna at Aldi for less than $4. It had 3 steaks in it, so it was perfect for my little family of 4. The zucchini and squash came from my mom's garden. This meal for 4 cost us about $4, but it tasted like we paid a fortune for it at a restaurant.
1. Cut your squash and/or zucchini in slices lengthwise (so they won't fall between the grill grates).
2. Marinate the tuna steaks and veggies in this for 20 minutes in the fridge while the grill is heating: lemon juice, soy sauce, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1/4 cup of each, with a little more lemon juice? I don't measure anything...) plus salt, pepper and a lot of garlic (powder or minced). Don't marinate it too long - fish doesn't need to marinate more than 20 minutes or so or the marinade will overpower it.
3. Preheat your grill to the hottest setting. When it's hot, oil the grates so the fish won't stick.
4. Cook your veggies for 5 minutes, then flip them. Leave them on while you cook the fish.
5. Cook the fish for about 2 minutes on each side.
See how easy it is? ENJOY!
Families in Training
Our pediatrician at Charlotte Pediatric Clinic gave us a poster with some common sense ways to promote a healthy family. The building blocks are very simple and easy to incorporate into your daily life.
These are the recommendations:
5 Servings of fruits and veggies per day - piece of cake! I usually serve oatmeal for breakfast, followed by lunch and dinner consisting of a protein, a veggie and a fruit. We usually have fruit for an afternoon snack. Because we eat what our children eat, it's a good way to make sure you work enough of fruits and veggies into your own diet. Think it's too expensive? Try frozen bagged vegetables, and look for in-season fruits. Our standard fall-back for at least once a day is applesauce, which you can get dirt cheap at your local warehouse club.
4 meals as a family per week - My husband works 16 hour days, and if we can do this, you can too! Growing up, we ate dinner together every night as a family, and I will always cherish those special times. In today's world, it's not always possible to do so. It is amazing at what you can learn about your children by eating together and just listening to them. MAKE TIME for family meals. You won't regret it.
3 meals per day (not 2, not 4+) - getting them on a schedule keeps them from grazing on snack foods all day. If they are active between meals, they will be good and hungry for their meal - and obesity shouldn't be a concern.
2 hours or less of screen time per day - kids need to be active and playing. It's how they learn and stay fit. "Screen time" means television, games, etc. It is very possible to do this, and if you cut your cable, not only will you save money, but you will find that you have more time to do more enjoyable activities with your family.
1 hour or more of activity per day - get them outside! They will feel better, eat better and sleep better. If it's hot or rainy, have an indoor parade, dance together or do some simple exercises. take the stairs. If you shop, park away from the door for more exercise. You don't have to do the whole hour at once - 20 minutes for 3 times per day is sufficient.
0 sweetened beverages - cut the sodas and the juice and have more water! Not only is it more cost efficient, it's much healthier for kids and adults alike.
I challenge you to take these steps for you and your kids. It's such a simple way to live healthier!
These are the recommendations:
5 Servings of fruits and veggies per day - piece of cake! I usually serve oatmeal for breakfast, followed by lunch and dinner consisting of a protein, a veggie and a fruit. We usually have fruit for an afternoon snack. Because we eat what our children eat, it's a good way to make sure you work enough of fruits and veggies into your own diet. Think it's too expensive? Try frozen bagged vegetables, and look for in-season fruits. Our standard fall-back for at least once a day is applesauce, which you can get dirt cheap at your local warehouse club.
4 meals as a family per week - My husband works 16 hour days, and if we can do this, you can too! Growing up, we ate dinner together every night as a family, and I will always cherish those special times. In today's world, it's not always possible to do so. It is amazing at what you can learn about your children by eating together and just listening to them. MAKE TIME for family meals. You won't regret it.
3 meals per day (not 2, not 4+) - getting them on a schedule keeps them from grazing on snack foods all day. If they are active between meals, they will be good and hungry for their meal - and obesity shouldn't be a concern.
2 hours or less of screen time per day - kids need to be active and playing. It's how they learn and stay fit. "Screen time" means television, games, etc. It is very possible to do this, and if you cut your cable, not only will you save money, but you will find that you have more time to do more enjoyable activities with your family.
1 hour or more of activity per day - get them outside! They will feel better, eat better and sleep better. If it's hot or rainy, have an indoor parade, dance together or do some simple exercises. take the stairs. If you shop, park away from the door for more exercise. You don't have to do the whole hour at once - 20 minutes for 3 times per day is sufficient.
0 sweetened beverages - cut the sodas and the juice and have more water! Not only is it more cost efficient, it's much healthier for kids and adults alike.
I challenge you to take these steps for you and your kids. It's such a simple way to live healthier!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
I'm BAAAA-AAAACKKKK!!!!
A couple of months ago, I woke up one day and felt different. For the first time in what seemed like forever, I actually felt good. I had energy. I felt like my old self. Then it hit me: my daughter was 17 months old. Right after she was born, a friend told me that she heard it takes a month for every week of bedrest to recover. I was on total bedrest for 17 weeks. My doctors told me I was in for a long recovery, and I didn't fully understand what they meant by that. Not only did I suffer physically for MANY months after my baby was born, but the mental toll was heavy (to say the least). Couple that with all of the medical crap I went through with my other daughter just 3 months after the youngest was born, with my husband being out of work for 8 months after the youngest was born, and with a very nasty and emotionally-draining situation I dealt with at my own job... it is a wonder I pulled through at all.
So now I'm back. I haven't updated my blog because I have been so busy lately! Getting caught up on years of home improvements, nursing a severely sprained ankle, coordinating all of the financial and reconstruction details related to a major hailstorm, and teaching my oldest to write her letters has kept me very busy.
Keep watching my blog in the coming days for new and improved posts! Among our many projects this summer will be building a solar oven and a rocket stove, gardening with toddlers, and organizing our house. It's going to be fun!
So now I'm back. I haven't updated my blog because I have been so busy lately! Getting caught up on years of home improvements, nursing a severely sprained ankle, coordinating all of the financial and reconstruction details related to a major hailstorm, and teaching my oldest to write her letters has kept me very busy.
Keep watching my blog in the coming days for new and improved posts! Among our many projects this summer will be building a solar oven and a rocket stove, gardening with toddlers, and organizing our house. It's going to be fun!
Monday, April 18, 2011
The Code of the Sisterhood of Women
This particular post isn’t about being cheap or simple, but it is about something infinitely more important: The Code of Sisterhood.
Rule number 1 in the Code = NEVER ADMIT ANYTHING IS WORSE THAN CHILDBIRTH.
On Facebook this morning, I saw that a friend’s husband was having a kidney stone busted up today. Someone else chimed in with “Oh that is so much worse than childbirth!” Such an egregious error warrants a reminder on this blog about keeping the Code of Sisterhood, not just for your own benefit but for countless other women in the world.
There is one time in a woman’s life when men actually pamper us and feel sorry for us because they are completely clueless, and that is the birth of one’s first child. (Subsequent births apparently don’t count for much with getting sympathy and help from our husbands.) First time mothers should milk it for everything they possibly can during the first 6 months or so after the baby’s birth, because they will never again get so much help or sympathy by their husbands. If we start talking about things being worse than childbirth, this one perk of postpartum life will vanish. We must keep the code so that other first-time moms can take advantage of it.
Secondly, when we admit that something is worse than childbirth to a man, we lose the ability to hold our sacrifices against him for the rest of his life. My husband whines for hours about a paper cut. Now that I have delivered two babies, I can give him the “I birthed two babies, so shut your mouth” look whenever he whines about his injury. This particular advantage of keeping the Code means we can use it countless times for many years. What woman doesn’t want the ability to say “I pushed a 7-pound baby out of my body, so you can handle having your gall bladder removed!” and go back to reading her romance novel while her husband recovers from surgery?
Come on ladies, you must honor the sisterhood of women all over the world by keeping some things a mystery. If you don’t keep the code for yourself, at least keep it for the millions of women who truly appreciate all the help they can get.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Picky eater tricks
My 3-year-old is a very picky eater. It is almost impossible to get her to eat something new, and she often refuses to eat the things she likes.
Our simple solution? Toothpicks! It makes eating fun. We just watch her very closely and make sure we collect the used toothpick when she is done.
We have also used toppings to make it fun - a little chocolate sauce (on the bananas in the photo), finely shredded cheese, grated parmesan cheese or even cake sprinkles can go a long way!
Another trick we have used is to call food something different. Our daughter won't eat any meat but chicken, so we call everything chicken. She enjoyed her chicken fish last night. Peas are green balls, Broccoli is trees, squash are sunshines... you get the point.
What are some of your tricks for picky eaters?
Our simple solution? Toothpicks! It makes eating fun. We just watch her very closely and make sure we collect the used toothpick when she is done.
We have also used toppings to make it fun - a little chocolate sauce (on the bananas in the photo), finely shredded cheese, grated parmesan cheese or even cake sprinkles can go a long way!
Another trick we have used is to call food something different. Our daughter won't eat any meat but chicken, so we call everything chicken. She enjoyed her chicken fish last night. Peas are green balls, Broccoli is trees, squash are sunshines... you get the point.
What are some of your tricks for picky eaters?
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Healthy Fish Dish
Tonight was fish night, and I wanted to do something different. I found a jar of my mother's canned tomatoes and decided they would go well with the Tilapia I had thawed.
Here's the recipe:
1 pack of Tilapia (4 filets)
one sweet onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 can of tomatoes (the "put up" kind or the diced canned kind from the grocery store)
minced garlic or garlic powder
Italian seasoning
sliced black olives
Spray a 13 X 9 inch metal pan with cooking spray. Spread the onion and pepper slices on the bottom. Put the filets on top. Mix the tomatoes, garlic and Italian seasoning in a bowl and put 1/4 of it on top of each filet. Sprinkle with olives. Cover with foil and bake at 450 for 20 minutes.
We served it with garlic spinach (see earlier post) and garlic bread. The meal was inexpensive and easy (but looked and tasted fancy). My husband is not a fan of fish, tomatoes or olives, but he requested eating the leftovers for tomorrow night's dinner. It was that good!
Here's the recipe:
1 pack of Tilapia (4 filets)
one sweet onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 can of tomatoes (the "put up" kind or the diced canned kind from the grocery store)
minced garlic or garlic powder
Italian seasoning
sliced black olives
Spray a 13 X 9 inch metal pan with cooking spray. Spread the onion and pepper slices on the bottom. Put the filets on top. Mix the tomatoes, garlic and Italian seasoning in a bowl and put 1/4 of it on top of each filet. Sprinkle with olives. Cover with foil and bake at 450 for 20 minutes.
We served it with garlic spinach (see earlier post) and garlic bread. The meal was inexpensive and easy (but looked and tasted fancy). My husband is not a fan of fish, tomatoes or olives, but he requested eating the leftovers for tomorrow night's dinner. It was that good!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Socks, socks, everywhere socks - and none of them match!
When our youngest child arrived, I found myself so overwhelmed with laundry. The worst part is matching socks.
That's when I came up with this solution:
When we buy a new pack of plain white socks, we assign a letter or number to them. We use a Sharpie to put that number on the bottom of each sock before we wear them for the first time. It makes matching socks so much easier, and it's easier to purge socks that become too small as our kids outgrow them. Just a minute of work will save so much work down the road!
That's when I came up with this solution:
When we buy a new pack of plain white socks, we assign a letter or number to them. We use a Sharpie to put that number on the bottom of each sock before we wear them for the first time. It makes matching socks so much easier, and it's easier to purge socks that become too small as our kids outgrow them. Just a minute of work will save so much work down the road!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Get your feet ready for spring
Tired of dry, cracked feet? Several years ago I found a remedy that actually works. My feet were so badly cracked they would bleed and they were very painful. I tried everything - spa treatments, lotions, pumice – but nothing worked until I tried this new inexpensive method.
Get a container of acne scrub, the kind with 2% Salicylic Acid as the active ingredient. This will kill the fungus/junk/germs that actually cause the cracking. Then pick up a big container of Vaseline petroleum jelly for hydration. Every night before bed, wash your feet well with the acne scrub. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before rinsing. Towel dry your feet. Then coat them with Vaseline and cover with a pair of socks.
After one week, you will notice a BIG difference in the texture of your feet.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Grow your own Microgreens
My new hobby is growing microgreens. Microgreens are typically very expensive and are served in fine restaurants. Growing them at home is very cheap and very easy!
Microgreens are the very young shoots of plants – they are harvested when the sprouts get 1 - 2” tall. They are full of good nutrients – Google “growing microgreens” for more information from people who are a lot smarter than me. They are so full of flavor! Best of all, my almost 3-year-old is fascinated and this is teaching her about growing her own food.
My first batch was peas. I purchased a packet of pea seeds for less than $2 at Lowes. I’m going to try a mix of peas, asparagus, mustard, beets and spinach next time, and I’m going to order one of the mini-greenhouses for my back deck so I can grow bigger batches.
Try it! All you need is a sunny window, a shallow flower pot, some potting soil and some seeds. I mixed some vermiculite with my soil (that’s the white stuff you see in potting soil, it helps retain moisture and keep the soil from getting hard). Fill the pot with soil. Spread a ton of seeds on top of the soil, then cover with half an inch of more soil. Water it well. Set it in front of a window and watch it grow for a week or so. Once the shoots get a couple of leaves on them, it’s time to harvest. When you are ready to replant, just stir up the soil and start again. Leave the roots from the previous harvest in the dirt to fertilize it.
The photo shows my plants just before harvesting. Grab some scissors and cut them off right above the soil level. I started out my seeds the first few days under a loose cover of plastic wrap to help retain the moisture and heat.
I made a delicious salad with my microgreens. I took the pea shoots and added finely shredded carrots, some thinly chopped green onions, a little feta cheese and topped it all off with some creamy Balsamic vinaigrette. It was so good with our steak!
Please leave comments if you try growing your own microgreens. Let me know how it goes. Don’t be intimidated – give it a shot! You’ll love the results.
Seasonal decor at Party City
According to the associate I spoke with yesterday, Party City rarely marks down major holiday decor after the holiday. Judging from my experience this year, I think she's right.
If Party City has a lot of seasonal/holiday product leftover, they pack it up and send it back to their warehouse for next year. When they put it out on the shelves the next year, it is already marked down drastically. I have found that the best time to shop for holiday decorations at Party City is the week after a holiday, when they are setting the shelves for the next holiday. That's when they put out all of the marked-down product from last year for the next holiday. So get out there this week if you want Spring decor!
For example, yesterday I picked up some Easter/Spring decorations. My toddlers LOVE to decorate for holidays, and I love to find them for cheap. I picked up 3 sets of Dragonfly lights (the kind with 10 lights on a string) for $4.93 on clearance - they were originally $12.99. I got a great big 22" butterfly for $2.93, and they were $9.99 last year. I got a lovely tacky plastic tablecloth for 2.93, and last year it sold for $5.99.
I worked in retail replenishment for 6 years before becoming a SAHM, and I have never heard of this strategy before. Typically, if product is going to be marked down, it is done immediately after the season to get rid of it. I'm not sure why Party City chooses to warehouse product for an entire year only to mark it down when they put it out on the shelves the next year, but it certainly works for my family!
If Party City has a lot of seasonal/holiday product leftover, they pack it up and send it back to their warehouse for next year. When they put it out on the shelves the next year, it is already marked down drastically. I have found that the best time to shop for holiday decorations at Party City is the week after a holiday, when they are setting the shelves for the next holiday. That's when they put out all of the marked-down product from last year for the next holiday. So get out there this week if you want Spring decor!
For example, yesterday I picked up some Easter/Spring decorations. My toddlers LOVE to decorate for holidays, and I love to find them for cheap. I picked up 3 sets of Dragonfly lights (the kind with 10 lights on a string) for $4.93 on clearance - they were originally $12.99. I got a great big 22" butterfly for $2.93, and they were $9.99 last year. I got a lovely tacky plastic tablecloth for 2.93, and last year it sold for $5.99.
I worked in retail replenishment for 6 years before becoming a SAHM, and I have never heard of this strategy before. Typically, if product is going to be marked down, it is done immediately after the season to get rid of it. I'm not sure why Party City chooses to warehouse product for an entire year only to mark it down when they put it out on the shelves the next year, but it certainly works for my family!
Lasagna for special occasions
I made some really good lasagna last night. While it ran me about $10 and took a while to make, I don't think it qualifies as cheap or simple, but it would be a wonderful way to celebrate special occasions. It was still much cheaper than a night out at an Italian restaurant, and in my mind it tasted even better!
Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and rinsed in cold water
1 pound mild Italian sausage - removed from casing
2 cloves minced garlic (the kind in the jar works just fine)
48 oz Prego traditional spaghetti sauce (splurge for this brand, use a coupon!)
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
24 oz container small curd cottage cheese (it's cheaper than ricotta!)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cook lasagna noodles and drain. Meanwhile, cook and crumble the sausage in a large skillet; drain the grease. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add sauce (except for 1 cup) and stir. Remove from heat. Drain your spinach.
Mix Cottage cheese, spinach, 1 cup Mozzarella, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.
Spray 13 X 9 inch dish (deep dish is best) with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce on bottom.
Layer: 3 noodles, then 1/3 of cheese mixure, then 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Top last noodle layer with remaining sauce mixture and the other cup of mozzarella. Cover with nonstick foil.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with salad and Italian bread.
Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles, cooked and rinsed in cold water
1 pound mild Italian sausage - removed from casing
2 cloves minced garlic (the kind in the jar works just fine)
48 oz Prego traditional spaghetti sauce (splurge for this brand, use a coupon!)
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach
24 oz container small curd cottage cheese (it's cheaper than ricotta!)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cook lasagna noodles and drain. Meanwhile, cook and crumble the sausage in a large skillet; drain the grease. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add sauce (except for 1 cup) and stir. Remove from heat. Drain your spinach.
Mix Cottage cheese, spinach, 1 cup Mozzarella, parmesan, egg, salt and pepper.
Spray 13 X 9 inch dish (deep dish is best) with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce on bottom.
Layer: 3 noodles, then 1/3 of cheese mixure, then 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Top last noodle layer with remaining sauce mixture and the other cup of mozzarella. Cover with nonstick foil.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with salad and Italian bread.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Cheap entertainment and dinner
Tonight we had a bonfire in our backyard. We built a little fire and roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. The kids were in heaven!
It didn't cost us much at all, as hotdogs and buns were both on sale at our local grocery store. I already had ketchup, mustard, relish, marshmallows and bananas (we needed a healthy side item, right?). After our delicious meal, we sat around and sang a few songs.
The glow in my kids' eyes and the smiles on their sweet little faces were priceless. It's the simple things that make life so much fun.
It didn't cost us much at all, as hotdogs and buns were both on sale at our local grocery store. I already had ketchup, mustard, relish, marshmallows and bananas (we needed a healthy side item, right?). After our delicious meal, we sat around and sang a few songs.
The glow in my kids' eyes and the smiles on their sweet little faces were priceless. It's the simple things that make life so much fun.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Opinion Outpost
I received my first check from Opinion Outpost this week for $7. If you would like to make a few extra bucks for completing easy online surveys, sign up at www.opinionoutpost.com
I usually get a couple of emails each day, asking me to participate in a short survey. They ask a few demographic questions, and I usually get to participate in about half of the surveys they send based on my answers to the preliminary questions. You get a certain amount of points for each survey completed, and you can use your accumulated points to get a check or credits to Amazon.com.
Check it out!
I usually get a couple of emails each day, asking me to participate in a short survey. They ask a few demographic questions, and I usually get to participate in about half of the surveys they send based on my answers to the preliminary questions. You get a certain amount of points for each survey completed, and you can use your accumulated points to get a check or credits to Amazon.com.
Check it out!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Easy chicken
I ran across a pack of 6 chicken leg quarters at Sams Club last week for $4.80. 6 quarters makes two meals for my little family. I put BBQ sauce on half of them in one pan and I mixed honey and spicy brown mustard and poured it over the other three quarters. Put both pans in the oven at the same time - 350 degrees for about an hour. The first 40 minutes I covered them with tin-foil to keep them from burning.
I served it with some garlic spinach. Aldi sells bags of spinach for $1.69. I put a little olive oil and garlic powder in the pot until it got hot, then added half of the spinach. Kept turning it constantly until the leaves began to wilt (about a minute), then I added the rest of the spinach for about two minutes, constantly turning it to cook evenly.
The meal was delicious.
I served it with some garlic spinach. Aldi sells bags of spinach for $1.69. I put a little olive oil and garlic powder in the pot until it got hot, then added half of the spinach. Kept turning it constantly until the leaves began to wilt (about a minute), then I added the rest of the spinach for about two minutes, constantly turning it to cook evenly.
The meal was delicious.
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Best Wedding Ever!
Lately my Facebook friends have been posting their wedding photos. Others have become engaged, and it is fun to witness the excitement of such a special time in their lives. I love weddings! Having had two of them, at this point I'm a pretty decent wedding planner.
My first wedding was big. I mean BIG. Big Dress, big cake, big wedding party, big guest list, big expenses. It was fun. That marriage lasted less than 3 years. Big lessons learned.
My second wedding - almost 5 years ago - was very small and simple. It was the best day of my life at that point.
We got married in our back yard, with a grand total of 16 people in attendance. There were no bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls or ring bearers. No stress. A friend played the guitar and sang, and another friend, a Lutheran minister, married us. The 10-minute ceremony was very simple, but the ceremony itself was still a blur. I remember the minister talking about what each of the letters in LOVE stood for. L is for Listening, but I couldn't remember what the other three letters stood for if my life depended on it.
This was a cheap but classy wedding, and it wasn't overdone. I found my dress for $100 on the rack at Dillard's. My husband purchased a new suit for the occasion, and that was our biggest expense. He needed one anyway, as all of his suits were getting old. I paid $25 for my bouquet from a local florist. My mother insisted we have a wedding cake, so she bought a very small one. My father-in-law and brother-in-law served as our photographers. After the ceremony, we took everyone out to eat at the restaurant where we had our first real date. It was (almost) perfect.
Spending so little on the wedding made it possible to take a nice honeymoon. OK, nice is an understatement. It was AWESOME! We spent 10 days in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria. It was the trip of a lifetime.
Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing about our wedding day. Keeping it simple and cheap made things stress-free and enabled us to put the money we would have spent on a fancy wedding toward our honeymoon. Because it was intimate and relaxed, we actually remembered hanging out with the people who mean the most to us. The delicious dinner afterward was the perfect way to end the day. I would highly recommend that kind of simple wedding to anyone.
My first wedding was big. I mean BIG. Big Dress, big cake, big wedding party, big guest list, big expenses. It was fun. That marriage lasted less than 3 years. Big lessons learned.
My second wedding - almost 5 years ago - was very small and simple. It was the best day of my life at that point.
We got married in our back yard, with a grand total of 16 people in attendance. There were no bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls or ring bearers. No stress. A friend played the guitar and sang, and another friend, a Lutheran minister, married us. The 10-minute ceremony was very simple, but the ceremony itself was still a blur. I remember the minister talking about what each of the letters in LOVE stood for. L is for Listening, but I couldn't remember what the other three letters stood for if my life depended on it.
This was a cheap but classy wedding, and it wasn't overdone. I found my dress for $100 on the rack at Dillard's. My husband purchased a new suit for the occasion, and that was our biggest expense. He needed one anyway, as all of his suits were getting old. I paid $25 for my bouquet from a local florist. My mother insisted we have a wedding cake, so she bought a very small one. My father-in-law and brother-in-law served as our photographers. After the ceremony, we took everyone out to eat at the restaurant where we had our first real date. It was (almost) perfect.
Spending so little on the wedding made it possible to take a nice honeymoon. OK, nice is an understatement. It was AWESOME! We spent 10 days in Salzburg and Vienna, Austria. It was the trip of a lifetime.
Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing about our wedding day. Keeping it simple and cheap made things stress-free and enabled us to put the money we would have spent on a fancy wedding toward our honeymoon. Because it was intimate and relaxed, we actually remembered hanging out with the people who mean the most to us. The delicious dinner afterward was the perfect way to end the day. I would highly recommend that kind of simple wedding to anyone.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I love Aldi!
If you have an Aldi near you, be sure to check it out. If you aren't familiar with Aldi, it is a small, no-frills grocery store that sells a lot of off-brand products for very cheap. The product changes frequently - Aldi takes advantage of special buy opportunities with vendors, so they may not always carry the same products. You have to take your own grocery bags, and if you need a shopping cart you will need to put a refundable quarter in the lock to rent it. They only accept cash and Debit cards - no credit cards.
We have an Aldi 5 miles from our house, and another one 20 miles away on the way to my grandparents' house, so it is very convenient to shop there. The one 20 miles away in Lancaster is the cheapest one in the State of South Carolina, according to the cashier. I can get milk at that one cheaper than I can get it at Sam's Club, which is a big deal if you go through a gallon a day like we do!
They have great produce and a good frozen seafood section. They have the prettiest broccoli in our area (better than our upscale grocery stores!) for a great price, $2 pineapples, cheap potatoes, onions & garlic, and right now they have cheap grape tomatoes and avocados. Their bananas are $0.29 per pound, but the flavor can be hit or miss, so we don't typically buy them there. Crackers, Cookies and canned goods are very cheap as well!
Aldi has an assortment of cheeses at our local store, which is a little more upscale than the one in Lancaster. They have a brand of Summer Sausage for $2.99; it is twice the size of the Hickory Farms brand, at less than half of the cost, and we couldn't tell a difference in the taste or fat content! They carry decent $2.99 wines, and I am currently sampling the Merlot at 11:30 in the morning for research for this blog. After my daughter starts her afternoon nap, I plan to paint my nails with a beautiful nail polish I picked up at Aldi for $1.49
We have an Aldi 5 miles from our house, and another one 20 miles away on the way to my grandparents' house, so it is very convenient to shop there. The one 20 miles away in Lancaster is the cheapest one in the State of South Carolina, according to the cashier. I can get milk at that one cheaper than I can get it at Sam's Club, which is a big deal if you go through a gallon a day like we do!
They have great produce and a good frozen seafood section. They have the prettiest broccoli in our area (better than our upscale grocery stores!) for a great price, $2 pineapples, cheap potatoes, onions & garlic, and right now they have cheap grape tomatoes and avocados. Their bananas are $0.29 per pound, but the flavor can be hit or miss, so we don't typically buy them there. Crackers, Cookies and canned goods are very cheap as well!
Aldi has an assortment of cheeses at our local store, which is a little more upscale than the one in Lancaster. They have a brand of Summer Sausage for $2.99; it is twice the size of the Hickory Farms brand, at less than half of the cost, and we couldn't tell a difference in the taste or fat content! They carry decent $2.99 wines, and I am currently sampling the Merlot at 11:30 in the morning for research for this blog. After my daughter starts her afternoon nap, I plan to paint my nails with a beautiful nail polish I picked up at Aldi for $1.49
Monday, January 3, 2011
CLEARANCE time at Walmart - toys & Christmas Decor
So it looks like Walmart overbought toys for the holidays, and sales were not realized. Our local Walmart has an entire section of Toys on clearance - and they are good toys!
It is a great time to stock up for upcoming birthdays or your "gift closet". My daughter got a singing Cinderella doll she has wanted for months for only $5 with her Christmas money. I was also able to sneak a birthday gift into our cart for her birthday next month.
Last week we hit the marked-down Christmas decorations, and there is a lot left today at 75% off.
It is a great time to stock up for upcoming birthdays or your "gift closet". My daughter got a singing Cinderella doll she has wanted for months for only $5 with her Christmas money. I was also able to sneak a birthday gift into our cart for her birthday next month.
Last week we hit the marked-down Christmas decorations, and there is a lot left today at 75% off.
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