In some of my earlier posts I shared that I was going to use Swagbucks to help with Christmas presents. My goal was to get enough Swagbucks to get a $50 certificate. I've been diligently printing coupons, surfing, answering polls, etc to get my bucks up to the 6,000 mark.
Now, I'm sure some of you know this but I didn't so I'm going to let you in on the secret I learned. It's cheaper to buy 10 $5 Amazon certificates than to buy one $50 - significantly cheaper. I've seen people post that they would pick up a $5 certificate as soon as they had enough points but I guess I didn't understand why, I do now!
I'm going to let you in on another secret, you can only buy five of the same certificates in a month AND it takes almost two weeks for them to be usable. Soooo, if you are planning on using them for Christmas you better get cracking!
I've bought my five certificates for the month and will buy five more early November. I'll have enough Swagbucks to get more (and will pick them up in early December) but I won't be using them for presents since it will be getting to close to Christmas. Still haven't decided yet what I'll be buying from Amazon but I know that there is something on there that would make a nice gift.
Are there any other Swagbuck secrets out there that I may not know about? I'd love to hear your Swagbuck plans
I'll be linking this up over at Life as Mom
You might also like:
Saving for Christmas
Preparing for Christmas
Photo Books for Christmas
Mixbook
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Sustainability
I don't have any new organization projects to share this week. Not because I don't have quite a few things left to do on my list but because I just didn't have the time or energy to do any of them this week. I was feeling a little tired and l-a-z-y this week.
What I would like to talk about thought is sustainability. Sustainability is, for me, the most important part of the organization project. How many times have you cleaned out the same drawer only to find it messy again in a few weeks?
Here are some examples of what I've done to help with my sustainability.
Yeah - you heard me right about the dryer repair man. My wonderful solution from a couple of weeks ago wasn't sustainable so the repair man is coming on Monday. I'll let you know what the damage is next week.
I'll be linking this up over at I'm an Organizing Junkie and Organize with Sandy
You might also like:
Freezer Cooking Plans (with recipes)
Preparing for a Medical Emergency
They Call Him Captain America
What I would like to talk about thought is sustainability. Sustainability is, for me, the most important part of the organization project. How many times have you cleaned out the same drawer only to find it messy again in a few weeks?
Here are some examples of what I've done to help with my sustainability.
- Baskets - I'm not a huge fan of baskets but I've really found them helpful in my sustainability quest. The cheap baskets that I picked up at the dollar store allow my items to stay put and not spread all over the place. I've used the baskets in the bathroom, pantry and storage area.
- Shelves - By adding shelves I've created a spot for items that didn't previously have a home. Having a place for everything helps with sustainability.
- Changed processes - Sometimes the way you are doing something just doesn't allow for sustainability. I've written a couple of articles on laundry (you can read the latest one here). Changing our laundry process has been the biggest sustainability factor in our laundry/storage room.
- Purge - Do we really need all the things we have? Purging is one of the most important factors in all my organizational projects. I had written earlier about my linen closet project. I've already taken it a step further and purged more towels. Our laundry process allows us to have significantly fewer towels which helps keep the linen closet organized. How much of the items in your cabinets, drawers and closets do you really need?
- Think outside of the box - I've said it before but the definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Try something different and commit to the process.
Yeah - you heard me right about the dryer repair man. My wonderful solution from a couple of weeks ago wasn't sustainable so the repair man is coming on Monday. I'll let you know what the damage is next week.
I'll be linking this up over at I'm an Organizing Junkie and Organize with Sandy
You might also like:
Freezer Cooking Plans (with recipes)
Preparing for a Medical Emergency
They Call Him Captain America
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Freezer Cooking Weekend
This weekend is one of my husband's weekends to work. You know what that means - I'm going to have a super busy weekend trying to get a lot of stuff done. It's been a while since I've done a full weekend of freezer cooking so I guess I'm over due. We're also refinancing our house so an appraiser will be coming through. Since I've done so many reorganizing projects lately I really don't need to do much but I'm thinking I'd like to get some of the closets cleaned out. We'll see how much energy I have, they aren't so bad that I'd be overly embarrassed (just a little) to have them look in them. Here's what I'm hoping to get finished as far as the freezer meals. I'm planning on doing the "Meal in a Bag" solution that I shared over at Life as Mom for the main entrees.
Meatloaf
Lasagna
Meatballs (I have a new recipe I want to try out, I'll let you know how we like them)
Shredded Chicken (for chicken tacos)
Applesauce
Cranberry Relish
Peel, slice & freeze apples for pies
Pumpkins - I saw this recipe over at MSM and thought I'd give it a try
I also think I've come up with a solution for my spice issue (you know the one - spices falling all over the pantry). My plan is to finish it up this weekend. My parents are also coming over for brunch on Saturday so maybe I'll put them to work :)
I'll share my results on Monday or Tuesday. If you are planning on freezer cooking this weekend and want to share you plan feel free to leave a note in comments or link back to your post.
You might also like:
This Week's Menu
Chicken & Stuffing Casserole
Christmas Idea - Photo books
Meatloaf
Lasagna
Meatballs (I have a new recipe I want to try out, I'll let you know how we like them)
Shredded Chicken (for chicken tacos)
Applesauce
Cranberry Relish
Peel, slice & freeze apples for pies
Pumpkins - I saw this recipe over at MSM and thought I'd give it a try
I also think I've come up with a solution for my spice issue (you know the one - spices falling all over the pantry). My plan is to finish it up this weekend. My parents are also coming over for brunch on Saturday so maybe I'll put them to work :)
I'll share my results on Monday or Tuesday. If you are planning on freezer cooking this weekend and want to share you plan feel free to leave a note in comments or link back to your post.
You might also like:
This Week's Menu
Chicken & Stuffing Casserole
Christmas Idea - Photo books
Meatball Recipe
This is a new recipe that a former co-worker shared with me so I can't give you a critique yet, but I thought they sounded very yummy so I'm sharing the recipe with you. I'll let you know how my family liked them.
Meatballs
Ingredients:
3 pounds ground meat—any one (or, preferably, combination) of the following: sirloin, turkey, chicken, pork, or veal
1-1/2 cups finely chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups fine dry bread crumbs (plain)
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup skim milk
3 tbsp fresh or 3 tsp dried parsley
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Optional ingredients:
1 small bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pkg chopped spinach, cooked
½ cup carrots, finely shredded
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray muffin tins very lightly with canola oil.
Place the meat in a large bowl. Add the onions, garlic, bread crumbs and cheese (plus any optional ingredients, if using) and mix well with your hands. Add eggs and milk and integrate well with your hands. Add remaining ingredients and mix until all ingredients are well dispersed.
Scoop the meat mixture into the muffin tins (I use a #20 disher, which is about the size of an ice cream scoop). Bake for 30 minutes or until browned on top and meatballs are cooked through. Serve immediately, or allow to cool and freeze in a large freezer bag so you can grab as many as you want whenever you need them.
How to use them:
• Serve with barbecue sauce or ketchup for dipping, along with mashed potatoes and a veggie.
• Simmer in marinara sauce (roasted tomato sauce, anyone?) for 20 minutes and serve over pasta.
• Instead of making meatballs, form the mixture into loaves (either free-form on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a loaf pan) and bake as a meatloaf.
If you try them I'd love to hear your feedback.
Meatballs
Ingredients:
3 pounds ground meat—any one (or, preferably, combination) of the following: sirloin, turkey, chicken, pork, or veal
1-1/2 cups finely chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups fine dry bread crumbs (plain)
1-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup skim milk
3 tbsp fresh or 3 tsp dried parsley
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Optional ingredients:
1 small bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pkg chopped spinach, cooked
½ cup carrots, finely shredded
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray muffin tins very lightly with canola oil.
Place the meat in a large bowl. Add the onions, garlic, bread crumbs and cheese (plus any optional ingredients, if using) and mix well with your hands. Add eggs and milk and integrate well with your hands. Add remaining ingredients and mix until all ingredients are well dispersed.
Scoop the meat mixture into the muffin tins (I use a #20 disher, which is about the size of an ice cream scoop). Bake for 30 minutes or until browned on top and meatballs are cooked through. Serve immediately, or allow to cool and freeze in a large freezer bag so you can grab as many as you want whenever you need them.
How to use them:
• Serve with barbecue sauce or ketchup for dipping, along with mashed potatoes and a veggie.
• Simmer in marinara sauce (roasted tomato sauce, anyone?) for 20 minutes and serve over pasta.
• Instead of making meatballs, form the mixture into loaves (either free-form on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a loaf pan) and bake as a meatloaf.
If you try them I'd love to hear your feedback.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Menu Planning
Last week was a successful menu planning week, we actually followed the menu perfectly. Remember when I said I was going to go ahead and try the walnut burger that was half price on Monday? Didn't taste good at all! I would have rather paid a couple of more bucks and gotten something yummy. Oh well, at least I now know I don't like it so I won't even look at it next time.
As I was putting together my menu for the week I was pretty psyched to see that we had a lot of our ingredients. I thought that we would have a low week at the grocery store, I thought wrong. We actually spent $225 at the grocery store this week, after $20 in coupons! This was a little bit of a stock up week in that we bought the following which we don't buy every week: toilet paper, paper towel, make-up and protein. Still, I have only had one week under $200 in the last month or so. We're going to have to find a way to bring that down.
Here's our menu for the week:
Breakfast
Lunch
As I was putting together my menu for the week I was pretty psyched to see that we had a lot of our ingredients. I thought that we would have a low week at the grocery store, I thought wrong. We actually spent $225 at the grocery store this week, after $20 in coupons! This was a little bit of a stock up week in that we bought the following which we don't buy every week: toilet paper, paper towel, make-up and protein. Still, I have only had one week under $200 in the last month or so. We're going to have to find a way to bring that down.
Here's our menu for the week:
Breakfast
- Cereal
- Breakfast sandwiches
- Egg scrambles
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Blueberry muffins
Lunch
- Kashi frozen lunches
- Sandwich, Gogurt, string cheese, mandarin oranges, brownies plus a granola bar for a late morning snack (daughter’s lunch for school)
- Bagel sandwiches
- Lunch out
- Leftovers
- Taco Salad
- Potato Soup and Beer Bread
- Dinner out (kids are going to grandma's and the grown-ups are going out for $1 fish tacos. My husband loves them but I haven't tried them, I figured for $1 a piece I could give them a whirl.
- Brats, potatoes/mushrooms/onions, applesauce
- Spaghetti & meatballs, corn, strawberry salad, Parmesan Garlic Biscuits
- Pizza
- Dinner with friends
Homemade Applesauce
12 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 - 2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup water
Add all ingredients to large pot and bring to boil. For about 1/2 hour let simmer, stirring frequently and breaking up apples to desired consistency.
Super easy to make and the kids absolutely love it. You can use pretty much any type of apple and they don't need to be in great shape. This is a good recipe to make if you have apples going bad and don't want to waste them.
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 - 2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup water
Add all ingredients to large pot and bring to boil. For about 1/2 hour let simmer, stirring frequently and breaking up apples to desired consistency.
Super easy to make and the kids absolutely love it. You can use pretty much any type of apple and they don't need to be in great shape. This is a good recipe to make if you have apples going bad and don't want to waste them.
Roasted Potatoes
4-6 small red potatoes
3-4 large mushrooms
1/2 small onion
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
Thinly slice potatoes, mushrooms and onions. Add to a bowl with 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil. Add garlic and rosemary.
From here you have several options as to how you'd like to cook them
Option 1
Cook in microwave for approximately 5 minutes. Add to a tin foil pan (I actually use two so that the layers are thin), cover with aluminum foil and cook on the grill for about 20 minutes. If you don't have a tin foil pan you can make aluminum foil pouch. Bottom layer of potatoes should be slightly browned
Option 2
Add to a tin foil pan (I actually use two so that the layers are thin), cover with aluminum foil and cook on the grill for about 40 - 45 minutes. If you don't have a tin foil pan you can make aluminum foil pouch. Bottom layer of potatoes should be slightly browned
Option 3
Add to a 9 x 13 baking pan and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. If you'd like you can broil them for a minute or two before serving to brown them.
3-4 large mushrooms
1/2 small onion
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
Thinly slice potatoes, mushrooms and onions. Add to a bowl with 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil. Add garlic and rosemary.
From here you have several options as to how you'd like to cook them
Option 1
Cook in microwave for approximately 5 minutes. Add to a tin foil pan (I actually use two so that the layers are thin), cover with aluminum foil and cook on the grill for about 20 minutes. If you don't have a tin foil pan you can make aluminum foil pouch. Bottom layer of potatoes should be slightly browned
Option 2
Add to a tin foil pan (I actually use two so that the layers are thin), cover with aluminum foil and cook on the grill for about 40 - 45 minutes. If you don't have a tin foil pan you can make aluminum foil pouch. Bottom layer of potatoes should be slightly browned
Option 3
Add to a 9 x 13 baking pan and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes. If you'd like you can broil them for a minute or two before serving to brown them.
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